THE  CREOLE 


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The   CREOLE 


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Illustrated  and  containing  exhaustive  accounts  of  the 
Historical  legends  of  the  Famous  Creole  City. 


FIRST    EDITION 
1910-1911. 


COMPILED  AND  PUBLISHED  BY 

THE    CREOLE   PUBLISHING    CO., 

638  Canal  Street,  :-:  New  Orleans,  La. 


^rmm 


SEE  INDEX  IN  REAR. 


THE    CREOLE 
Tourist's  Guide  and  Sketch  Book 


OF     NEW     ORLEANS. 


HISTORICAL 


NEW  ORLEANS,  from  its  founding  by  Bienville  in  1718  throughout 
its  many  vicissitudes  and  stirring  incidents,  under  the  flag  of 
five  distinct  nations  or  governments,  has  figured  in  romance 
and  poetry,  song  and  story;  yet,  the  story  of  its  glory  and  fame  as  a 
commercial  and  industrial  center,  its  possibilities  of  future  grandeur, 
remains  yet  to  be  developed  and  related. 

Of  "Old  Orleans,"  its  traditions  innumerable  and  points  of  interest, 
which  are  jealously  preserved,  even  at  the  expense  of  being  criti- 
cised by  the  Progressionists,  much  has  been  written — 

"An  oft-told  tale,  well  worth  repeating." 

The  Creole  Tourists'  Guide  and  Sketch  Book  of  New  Orleans,  as 
its  name  implies,  is  designed  to  meet  the  needs  of  tourists  and  visitors 
coming  to  our  city,  and  will  be  found  not  only  exact,  but  of  more  than 
passing  interest,  well  worthy  a  place  on  the  library  table  of  every 
home,  as  a  valued  souvenir  of  the  Crescent  City. 

New  Orleans  was  founded  in  1718  by  Jean  Baptiste  Lemoyne  de 
Bienville,  a  French  Canadian,  Governor  of  the  French  colony  which 
had  been  planted  nineteen  years  earlier  at  Biloxi,  on  Mississippi 
Sound.  A  few  years  after  its  founding  when  it  was  still  but  little  more 
than  a  squalid  village  of  deported  galley  slaves,  trappers  and  gold 
hunters,  it  was  made  the  capital  of  that  vast  Louisiana,  which  loosely 


-*  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

comprised  the  whole  Mississippi  Valley.  The  names  remaining  in 
vogue  in  that  portion  of  the  city  still  distinguished  as  le  vieux  carre, 
or  the  old  French  quarter,  preserve  an  interesting  record  of  these 
humble  beginnings.  The  memory  of  the  French  dominion  is  retained 
in  the  titles  and  foreign  aspects  of  Toulouse,  Orleans,  Du  Maine,  Conti, 
Dauphine  and  Chartres  streets;  while  the  sovereignty  of  Spain  is  even 
more  distinctly  traceable  in  the  stuccoed  walls  and  iron  lattices,  huge 
locks  and  hinges,  arches  and  gratings,  balconies  and  jalousies,  cor- 
rugated roofs  of  tiles,  dim  corridors  and  inner  courts,  brightened  with 
portieres,  urns  and  basins,  statues  half  hid  in  roses  and  vines,  and 
musical  with  sounds  of  trickling  water.  There  are  streets  named  for 
the  Spanish  Governors,  Unzaga,  Galvez,  Miro,  Salcedo,  Casa  Calva 
and  Carondelet. 

The  site  of  New  Orleans  was  selected  by  Bienville  as  the  highest 
point  on  the  river  bank  and  consequently  safe  from  overflow.  The 
second  year  of  its  occupation,'  however,  the  entire  town  was  sub- 
merged, and  it  was  found  necessary  to  construct  a  dyke  around  it 
to  protect  it  against  inundation.  This  dyke  w^as  the  beginning  of  the 
immense  system  of  levees  which  have  cost  the  people  of  the  Lower 
Mississippi  Valley  millions  of  dollars  to  erect  and  maintain.  The  site 
selected  by  Bienville  for  the  city  was  deemed  specially  favorable, 
first  on  account  of  its  height — it  was  ten  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
ocean — and,  secondly,  on  account  of  a  bayou  which  ran  just  back  of 
the  town  to  Lake  Pontchartrain,  thus  giving  the  city  communication 
with  the  Gulf,  otherwise  than  by  the  river,  whose  strong  current  at 
high  flood  rendered  it  difficult  of  ascent.  It  did  not  prove  to  be  so 
favorable  as  it  had  appeared  at  first  sight,  being  covered  by  a  noisome 
and  almost  impenetrable  cypress  swamp,  and  subject  to  frequent  if 
not  annual  overfiow.  Its  distance  from  the  mouth  of  the  river  was 
also  a  great  disadvantage.  Bayou  St.  John,  known  to  the  Indians  as 
Choupich  (muddy),  and  Bayou  Sauvage,  afterward  Gentilly,  navigable 
to  small  sea-going  vessels  to  within  a  mile  of  the  Mississippi's  bank, 
led  by  a  short  course  to  the  open  waters  of  the  lake  and  thence  to  the 
Gulf.  Here,  in  1718,  Bienville  landed  a  detachment  of  twenty-five 
convicts  or  galley  slaves,  twenty-five  carpenters  and  a  few  voyageurs 
from  the  Illinois  country  (Canadians)  to  make  a  clearing  and  erect 
necessary   huts   for  the   new    city   which   he   proposed   to   found,   and 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  6 

which  he  named  in  honor  of  his  Highness,  the  Prince  Regent  of 
France,  Louis  Philippe,  Duke  d'Orleans,  one  of  the  greatest  roues  and 
scoundrels  that  ever  lived. 

The  original  city,  known  even  to-day  as  "Old  Orleans,"  as  laid 
off  by  Bienville,  comprised  eleven  squares  front  on  the  river,  running 
from  Customhouse  street  (rue  de  la  Douane) — now  termed  Iberville 
street — to  Barracks  street  (rue  des  Quartiers),  and  five  squares  back 
from  Levee  street(  rue  de  la  Levee)  to  Burgundy  (rue  de  la  Bour- 
gogne).  These  limits  constituted  for  many  years  the  boundaries  of 
New  Orleans.  During  the  early  French  days,  houses  were  built  back 
of  this,  along  the  road  running  towards  the  lake  and  Bayou  St.  John. 
Plantations  were  established  on  the  river  bank,  both  above  and  below 
the  city.  When  the  city  was  transferred  from  Spain  to  France,  and 
thence  to  the  United  States,  the  great  bulk  of  the  population  still 
lived  in  the  old  quarters.  The  Americans,  however,  began  to  establish 
themselves  above  on  what  was  of  old  the  Jesuits'  plantation,  building 
up  a  new  town,  which  became  known  as  the  faubourg  St.  Mary,  or 
Sainte  Marie.  At  the  lower  end  of  town  another  suburb  was  laid 
out,  known  as  faubourg  Marigny.  This  made  New  Orleans  a  perfect 
crescent  in  shape,  which  formation  yet  remains,  for  the  river  just 
in  front  of  the  citj^  bends  gracefully  in  the  form  of  a  half-moon.  To 
this  circumstance  is  due  the  title  of  "Crescent  City,"  bestowed  upon 
New  Orleans  years  ago.  The  city  has  spread  up  stream,  following  the 
bank  of  the  river,  annexing  innumerable  towns  and  villages,  until  it  is 
now  in  shape  very  much  like  the  letter  "S,"  long  and  narrow,  while 
a  portion  of  it,  the  Fifteenth  ward,  or  Algiers,  is  situated  on  the  right 
bank  and  cut  off  from  the  rest  of  the  city. 

In  this  movement  upstream  and  backward  towards  the  lake.  New 
Orleans  has  swallowed  a  large  number  of  towns  and  villages — almost 
as  many  as  London  itself.  And  as  many  of  the  districts  thus  devoured 
still  retain  in  ordinary  parlance  their  old  titles,  it  is  very  confusing  to 
strangers.  Thus,  the  western  portion  of  New  Orleans  is  never  spoken 
of  as  the  Fifteenth  ward,  but  always  as  Algiers,  recalling  the  fact  that 
forty  years  ago  it  was  a  city  with  a  complete  municipal  government 
of  its  own,  mayor,  council  and  policemen.  The  extreme  upper  portion 
of  New  Orleans,  constituting  the  Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth  wards, 
is  universally  known  as  Carrollton,  while  another  portion,  that  border- 


6 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


ing  on  Lake  Pontcliartarin,  still  bears  the  title  of  Milneburg,  in  honor 
of  the  philanthropist  Milne. 


Lafayette  Square. 

New  Orleans  comprises  to-day  what  originally  constituted  the 
cities  of  Xew  Orleans,  Algiers,  Carrollton,  Jefferson  City  and  La- 
fayette, the  faubourgs  Treme,  Delord,  St.  Johnsburg,  Marigny,  De- 
Clouet,  Sainte  Marie,  Annonciation,  Washington,  Neuve   Marigny,  las 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  T 

Communes,  and  the  villages  of  Greenville,  Burtheville,  Bouligny,  Hurst- 
ville,  Fribourg,  Rickerville,  Mechanicsville,  Belleville^  Bloomington, 
Freetown,  Metarieville,  Milnebiirg,  Feinerburg,  Gentilly,  Marley, 
Foucher  and  others. 

Of  these,  the  only  names  still  used  to  any  extent  are  Algiers,  Car- 
rollton,  Jefferson,  Greenville,  Gentilly  and  Milneburg. 

Algiers  is  that  portion  of  New  Orleans  on  the  right,  or  west  bank 
of  the  river,  where  the  Southern  Pacific  or  Louisiana  and  Texas  Rail- 
road has  its  work  shops. 

Carrollton  embraces  what  is  known  as  the  Seventh  District,  or 
the  Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth  wards.  Upper  Line  street  divides  it 
from  the  remainder  of  the  city.  It  extends  between  parallel  lines  to 
Lake  Pontchartrain  and  includes  the  lake  resort  or  pleasure  ground 
known  as  West  End. 

Jefferson  City  constitutes  what  is  known  as  the  Sixth  District,  or 
Twelfth,  Thirteenth  and  Fourteenth  wards.  It  comprises  all  that  por- 
tion of  New  Orleans  between  Toledano  and  Upper  Line  streets. 

Greenville  is  that  portion  of  Jefferson  next  to  Carrollton  and  bor- 
dering the  river,  and  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  Audubon 
Park. 

Gentilly  is  the  small  settlement  mainly  of  farmers,  dairymen  and 
vegetable  dealers  in  the  Bayou  Gentilly,  a  corruption  of  Chantilly, 
the  celebrated  estate  of  the  Condes  in  France,  just  back  of  the  Third 
District  on  the  line  of  the  Pontchartrain  Railroad. 

Milneburg  is  the  village  lying  at  the  terminus  of  hte  Pontchartrain 
Railroad  on  Lake  Pontchartrain.  The  terminus  of  the  New  Orleans 
and  Lake  Road  is  similarly  known  as  West  End. 

New  Orleans  includes  the  entire  parish  of  Orleans.  All  the  land  be- 
tween the  river  and  lakes  Pontchartrain  and  Borgne  is  consequently 
a  portion  of  the  city  and  controlled  by  municipal  laws  and  ordinances. 
The  total  area  subject  to  municipal  government  is  187  square  miles, 
or  119,680  acres.  A  portion  of  New  Orleans  is  still  covered  by  the 
primeval  cypress  forests  and  sea  swamp  and  marsh.  Chef  Menteur, 
the  Rigolets,  are  part  and  parcel  of  the  city,  although  thirty  miles 
distant  from  a  house.  Within  the  municipal  limits  are  the  best  fish- 
ing and  duck-hunting  resorts  in  the  South. 


8  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

New  Orleans  is  divided  into  districts  and  wards.  The  wards  are 
the  political  divisions,  while  the  districts  are  mainly  used  for  de- 
scribing the  location  of  a  building.  Thus,  one  seldom  speaks  of  living 
in  the  Third  ward,  but  rather  says,  "in  the  First  District." 

The  First  District,  including  the  First,  Second  and  Third  wards, 
is  the  old  faubourg  Ste.  Marie,  or  American  quarter.  It  is  the  com- 
mercial center  of  the  city,  and  the  seat  of  most  of  its  manufactures. 

The  Second  District  includes  the  Fourth,  Fifth  and  Sixth  wards. 
It  is  the  old  city,  or  the  Creole  quarter.  The  oldest  portion  is  well 
built  up,  well  populated,  and  includes  the  greater  portion  of  the  for- 
eign population  of  New  Orleans. 

The  Third  District  includes  the  Seventh,  Eighth  and  Ninth  wards. 
It  is  the  old  faubourg  Marigny,  and  embraces  the  lower  portion  of 
the  town,  with  a  population  mainly  of  Germans  and  Creoles. 

The  Fourth  District  includes  the  Tenth  and  Eleventh  wards.  It  is 
nearly  a  residence  quarter,  and  the  location  of  the  finest  dwellings, 
mainly  occupied  by  Americans. 

The  Fifth  District  constitutes  but  one  ward,  the  Fifteenth.  It  is 
the  seat  of  the  railroad  repair  shops,  dockyards,  etc. 

The  Sixth  District  is  like  the  Fourth,  namely,  a  residence  quarter. 
It  embraces  three  wards,  the  Twelfth,  Thirteenth  and  Fourteenth,  and 
Audubon  Park. 

The  Seventh  District,  or  Sixteenth  and  Seventeenth  wards,  known 
generally  as  Carrollton,  is  well  settled,  and  mainly  given  up  to  dairies, 
small  truck  farms,  etc. 

A  still  more  marked  division  of  the  city  is  that  between  the 
French,  or  Creole,  and  American  quarters.  Canal  street,  which  sepa- 
rates the  First  and  Second  districts,  is  that  dividing  line,  and  separates 
two  towns  as  widely  different  in  race,  language,  customs  or  ideas  as 
two  races  of  people  living  close  to  each  other,  and  separated  only  by  an 
imaginary  line,  can  well  be. 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  orlbaxs 
HISTORY   IN   PARAGRAPHS. 


Founded  by  France  In  1718  as  a  suitable  site  for  a  city  worthy  to  be 
the  capital  of  Louisiana— Sieur  La  Blond  de  La  Tour,  Knight  of 
St.  Louis,  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Army  of  France,  supervised  the 
driving  of  stakes  and  drawn   lines. 

CHAPTER  II.— EARLY  HISTORY. 

The  city  of  New  Orleans  was  founded  in  1718;  that  is,  a  few  men 
were  landed  there  and  put  to  work  constructing  huts  and  warehouses. 
In  1719  an  overflow  occurred  which  flooded  the  entire  town,  and  com- 
pelled the  men  to  cease  work  on  the  buildings  and  begin  the  erection 
of  a  levee  around  the  place  in  order  to  prevent  a  recurrence  of  the 
calamity.  In  1720  New  Orleans  was  placed  under  the  military  com- 
mand of  M.  De  Noyau.  Bienville,  in  colonial  council,  endeavored  to 
have  it  declared  the  capital  of  the  colony  of  Louisiana,  instead  of  old 
Biloxi  (now  Ocean  Springs),  but  was  outvoted. 

He  sent  his  chief  of  engineers,  however,  Sieur  Le  Blond  de  la  Tour, 
a  Knight  of  St.  Louis,  to  the  little  settlement,  with  orders  "to  choose 
a  suitable  site  for  a  city  worthy  to  become  the  capital  of  Louisiana." 
Stakes  were  driven,  lines  drawn,  streets  marked  off,  town  lots  granted, 
ditched  and  palisaded,  a  rude  levee  thrown  up  along  the  river  front, 
and  the  scattered  settlers  of  the  neighborhood  gathered  into  the  form 
of  a  town.  To  de  laTour,  therefore,  is  due  the  naming  of  the  streets 
of  the  old  city. 

On  Bayou  St.  John,  near  this  little  town,  was  a  settlement  of  In- 
dians, called  Tchoutchouma,  or  the  place  of  the  Houma  or  Sun,  a  title 
which  has  been  often  poetically  applied  to  New  Orleans. 

In  1721  warehouses  had  already  been  erected,  and  Bienville  (then 
Governor  of  Louisiana)  reserved  the  right  to  make  his  residence  in 
the  new  city  on  certain  governmental  regulations.  Finally,  in  June 
of  the  following  year,  1722,  the  royal  commissioners  having  at  length 
given  orders  to  transfer  the  seat  of  government  from  Biloxi  to  New 
Orleans,  a  gradual  removal  was  begun  of  the  troops  and  effects  of 
the  Mississippi  Company,  who  had  control  of  Louisiana.  In  August, 
Bienville  completed  the  transfer  by  moving  thither  the  gubernatorial 


10 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


headquarters.     In   the  January  preceding  these   accessions  the  place 
already  contained  100  houses  and  300  inhabitants. 

It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  it  was  entirely  due  to  Bienville's 
perspicuity  and  obstinacy  that  New  Orleans  was  finally  made  the 
capital  of  the  French  possessions  in  America.  The  State  of  Louisi- 
ana  and   city  of  New  Orleans  have  ill  requited  him.     In  the  United 


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States  Customs  House  there  is  a  basso-rilievo  in  marble  of  Bienville, 
which  is  the  only  monument  ever  erected  to  him  in  New  Orleans. 
A  single  street  bears  his  name,  thanks  to  de  la  Tour,  his  own  engineer. 
Beyond  this,  New  Orleans  has  done  nothing  to  honor  the  man  to 
whom  she  owes  her  foundation,  and  whom  for  years  her  people  called 
"father." 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  11 

The  buildings  in  the  little  city  must  have  been  very  unstable,  for 
the  next  year,  on  September  11th,  a  storm  destroyed  the  parish 
church — the  predecessor  of  the  St.  Louis  Cathedral,  and  standing  on 
the  same  site  now  occupied  by  that  building — the  hospital,  and  thirty 
of  the  one  hundred  dwellings  the  town  contained. 

In  1732,  the  population  of  the  little  city  had  grown  to  5,000.  A  few 
civil  and  military  officials  of  high  rank  had  brought  their  wives  with 
them  from  France,  and  a  few  Canadians  had  brought  them  from  Can- 
ada, but  they  were  the  exceptions.  The  male  portion  of  the  popu- 
lation consisted  principally  of  soldiers,  trappers,  miners,  galley  slaves 
and  redemptioners  bound  for  three  years'  service,  while  the  still  dis- 
proportionally  small  number  of  women  was  almost  entirely  made  up 
of  transported  and  unreformed  inmates  of  houses  of  correction,  with 
a  few  Choctaw  squaws  and  African  slave  women.  Gambling,  duelling 
and  vicious  idleness  were  indulged  in  to  such  an  extent  as  to  give 
the  authorities  great  concern.  The  company  addressed  Its  efforts  to 
the  improvement  of  both  the  architectural  and  social  features  of  the 
provincial  capital,  and  the  years  1726  and  1727  are  conspicuous  for 
these  endeavers.  The  importation  of  male  vagabonds  and  criminals 
had  already  ceased,  stringent  penalties  were  laid  upon  gambling,  and 
steps  were  taken  for  promotion  of  education  and  religion. 

Though  the  plan  of  the  town  comprised  a  parallelogram  of  4,000 
feet  on  the  river  by  a  depth  of  1,800,  and  was  divided  into  regular 
squares  of  300  feet,  front  and  depth,  yet  its  appearance  was  disor- 
derly and  squalid.  A  few  board  cabins  of  split  cypress  (pieux) 
thatched  with  cypress  bark,  were  scattered  confusedly  over  the 
swampy  ground,  surrounded  and  isolated  from  each  other  by  willow 
brakes,  reedy  ponds  and  sloughs  bristling  with  dwarf  palmettos  and 
swarming  with   reptiles. 

In  the  middle  of  the  river  front  two  squares  had  been  reserved, 
the  front  one  as  a  parade  ground,  or  Place  d'Armes  (now  Jackson 
Square),  the  other  for  ecclesiastical  purposes.  The  middle  of  the 
rear  square  had  from  the  first  been  occupied  by  a  church,  and  is  at 
present  the  site  of  the  St.  Louis  Cathedral.  On  the  left  and  adjoin- 
ing the  church  a  company  of  Capuchine  priests  erected  in  1726  a  con- 
vent. A  company  of  Ursuline  nuns,  commissioned  to  open  a  school 
for  girls  and  to  attend  to  the  sick,  arrived  in  1727  from  France,  and 


12  THE  CBSOLff  TOURIST'S  GUIT^H 

were  given  tcirn-mary  ^j=««*iil  rU  tke  hous5  on  tl  fe  north  corner  of 
Chartres  and  Bienville  ttrtets,  Mhile  the  foundations  of  a  large  and 
commodious  nunnery  were  laiG  for  them  in  the  square  bounded  by 
the  river  front,  Chartres,  rue  de  1' Arsenal  (now  Ursuline  street,  in 
honor  of  the  nuns),  and  the  lower  limit  of  the  ciity,  now  Hospital 
street.  This  building,  which  was  finished  in  1730,  being  then  the 
largest  edifice  in  New  Orleans,  was  occupied  by  the  nuns  for  ninety- 
four  years,  until  1824,  when  they  removed  to  their  present  convent 
below  the  city.  In  18.31  the  old  building  became  the  State  House  of 
Louisiana;  in  1834  it  was  made  the  archiepiscopal  palace  for  the 
Catholic  Archbishop  of  New  Orleans.  It  is  the  oldest  building  in  New 
Orleans,  being  one  hundred  and  eighty  years  of  age,  and  as  strong 
and  stable  as  when  first  built. 

Some  years  ago  the  palatial  residence  of  Joseph  P.  Hornor,  de- 
ceased, a  distinguished  attorney-at-law  and  pre-eminent  in  the  ex- 
alted degrees  of  Masonry  in  his  day,  situated  in  Esplanade  and  St. 
Claude  streets,  was  purchased  by  Catholics  and  converted  into  the 
Archbishop's  palace,  where  the  Bishop  has  his  official  residence. 

A  soldiers'  hospital  was  built  near  the  convent  in  the  square  above, 
v/hich  gave  to  Hospital  street  its  name. 

A  map  of  New  Orleans,  made  in  1728  when  Perier  was  Governor 
of  the  colony  of  Louisiana,  shows  the  ancient  Place  d'Armes  of  the 
same  rectangular  figure  as  to-day,  an  open  plot  of  grass,  crossed  by 
two  diagonal  paths  and  occupying  the  exact  middle  of  the  town  front. 
Behind  it  stood  the  parish  church  of  St.  Louis,  built  like  most  of  the 
public  buildings  of  that  day — of  brick.  On  the  right  of  the  church 
was  a  small  guardhouse  and  prison,  and  on  the  left  was  the  dwelling 
of  the  Capuchins.  On  the  lower  side  of  the  Place  d'Armes,  at  the 
corner  of  Ste.  Anne  and  Chartres,  were  the  quarters  of  the  govern- 
ment employees.  The  grounds  facing  the  Place  d'Armes  in  St.  Peter 
and  Ste.  Anne  streets  were  still  unoccupied,  except  by  cord-wood  and 
a  few  pieces  of  parked  artillery  on  the  one  side  and  a  small  house  for 
issuing  rations  on  the  other.  Just  off  the  river  front,  on  Toulouse 
street,  were  the  smithies  of  the  Marine,  while  on  the  other  hand 
two  narrow  buildings  lining  either  side  of  the  street  in  honor  of  the 
Due  du  Maine,  and  reaching  from  the  river  front  nearly  to  Chartres 
street,  were  the  King's  warehouses.     Upon  the  upper  corner  of  the 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  13 

rue  de  I'Arsenal  (now  Ursulines),  was  the  hospital,  with  its  grounds 
running  along  the  upper  side  of  the  street  to  Chartres,  while  on  the 
square  next  below  was  the  convent  of  the  Ursulines.  The  barracks 
and  the  Company's  forges  were  in  the  square,  bounded  by  Royal,  St. 
Louis,  Bourbon  and  Conti.  In  the  extreme  upper  portion  of  the  city, 
on  the  river  front,  at  what  in  later  years  became  the  corner  of  Cus- 
tomhouse and  Decatur  streets,  were  the  house  and  grounds  of  the 
Governor;  and  in  the  square  immediately  below  them  the  humbler 
quarters  transiently  occupied  by  the  Jesuits.  The  fine  residences, 
built  of  cypress,  or  half  brick  and  half  frame,  mainly  one  story  and 
never  over  two  and  a  half,  stood  on  Chartres  and  Royal  streets.  The 
poorer  people  lived  in  the  rear  of  the  city,  the  greater  number  of 
their  houses  being  located  in  Orleans  street.  Prominent  among  the 
residents  of  New  Orleans  at  that  early  day,  to  whom  belongs  the  honor 
of  being  the  original  founders  of  the  city — its  F.  F.'s — stand  the  names 
Delery,  Dalby,  St.  Martin,  Dupuy,  Rossard,  Duval,  Beaulieu-Chauvin, 
D'Anseville,  Perrigaut,  Dreux,  Mandeville,  Tisseraud,  Bonneau,  De- 
Blanc,  Dasfeld,  Villere,  Provenche,  Gauvrit,  Pellerin,  D'Artaguette, 
Lazon,  Raguet,  Fleurieu,  Brule,  Lafreniere,  Carriere,  Caron  and  Pascal. 
About  half  these  names  are  now  extinct,  but  the  remainder  still 
flourish  in  New  Orleans  and  throughout  Louisiana. 

In  that  same  year,  1728,  occurred  the  one  important  event,  the  ar- 
rival of  a  consignment  of  reputable  girls,  sent  over  by  the  King 
of  France  to  the  Ursulines,  to  be  disposed  of  in  marriage  by  them. 
They  were  supplied  by  the  King  on  their  departure  from  France  with 
a  small  chest  of  clothing,  and  were  long  known  in  the  traditions  of 
their  colonial  descendants  by  the  honorable  distinction  of  the  fil  les 
de  la  cassette,  or  "the  casket  girls,"  to  distinguish  them  from  the 
"correction  girls"  previously  sent  over  from  the  prisons  and  hos- 
pitals  of   Paris. 

Incidents  of  Indian  warfare  and  massacre  are  not  lacking  on  the 
pages  of  the  early  history  of  New  Orleans. 

It  was  in  1730  that  the  Natchez  Indians  murdered  all  the  French 
at  Fort  Rosalie  (Natchez)  and  a  number  of  other  settlements  above 
New  Orleans.  This  was  followed  in  1732  by  a  negro  insurrection, 
which  was  only  suppressed  by  the  execution  of  the  ringleaders,  the 
women  on  the  gallows,  the  men  on  the  wheel.     The  heads  of  the  men 


14 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


were  stuck  upon  posts  at  the  upper  and  lower  extremities  of  the  town 
front,  and  the  Tchoupitoulas  settlement,  and  at  other  points,  to  in- 
spire future  would-be  conspirators  with  awe. 

The   Creoles   of  New   Orleans   were   at  this   time   greatly  agitated 
over  what  is  known  in  Louisiana  history  as  the  "Jesuit  War,"  a  quar- 


A  Carnival  Scene — "Rex  Parade." 


rel  between  the  Jesuits  and  Capuchins  as  to  jurisdiction.  The  strife 
was  characterized  by  '"acrimonious  writings,  squibs,  pasquinades  and 
satrical  songs,"  the  women  in  particular  taking  sides  with  lively 
zeal.  In  July,  1763,  the  Capuchins  were  left  masters  of  the  field, 
the  Jesuits  being  expelled  from  all  French  and  Spanish  possessions 
on  the  order  of  the  Pope.     Their  plantation,  which  was  in  a  splendid 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  15 

condition  and  one  of  the  best  in  Louisiana,  was  sold  for  $180,000,  a 
very  large  sum  in  those  days. 

In  November,  1762,  the  treaty  of  Fontainebleau  was  signed,  by  which 
France  transferred  Louisiana  to  Spain.  In  March,  1766,  the  new 
Spanish  Governor,  Don  Antonio  de  Uloa,  arrived  with  only  two  com- 
panies of  Spanish  troops.  For  some  time,  the  incoming  Spanish 
and  the  outgoing  French  Governors  administered  the  affairs  of  the 
colony,  but  on  October  25,  1768,  a  conspiracy,  long  and  carefully 
planned,  and  in  which  some  of  the  first  officers  of  the  government 
and  the  leading  merchants  of  New  Orleans  were  engaged,  revealed 
itself  in  open  hostilities.  At  the  head  of  this  movement  were  La- 
freniere,  the  Attorney-General;  Foucault,  the  intendant  Noyau  and 
Bienville,  nephews  of  the  city's  founder,  and  Milhet,  Carresse,  Petit, 
Poupet,  Marquis,  DeMasan,  Hardy  de  Bois-Blanc  and  Villere,  promi- 
nent merchants  and  planters.  On  the  night  of  the  28th,  the  guns  at 
the  Tchoupitoulas  gate  at  the  upper  side  of  the  city  v/ere  spiked,  and 
the  Acadians,  headed  by  Noyau,  and  the  Germans,  by  Villere,  entered 
the  city.  Ulloa  and  his  troops  retired  aboard  the  Spanish  frigate 
lying  in  the  river  and  sailed  -for  Havana. 

Thus,  freed  from  the  Spanish  dominion,  the  project  of  forming  a 
republic  was  discussed  by  the  Louisiana  Creoles,  and  delegates  were 
sent  to  the  British  American  colonies  to  propose  some  sort  of  union 
of  all  the  American  colonies.     But  the  republic  was  short-lived. 

On  August  IS,  1769,  Don  Alexandre  O'Reilly — whom  Byron's  Donna 
Juana  mentions  so  favorably — arrive  with  3,600  picked  Spanish  troops, 
50  pieces  of  artillery,  and  24  vessels.  The  Louisianians  could  not 
resist  this  force.  Twelve  of  the  principal  movers  of  the  insurrection 
v/ere  arrested;  six  of  them  shot  in  the  Place  d'Armes,  and  the  others 
imprisoned  in  the  Moro  Castle  at  Havana. 

At  the  time  that  O'Reilly  took  possession  of  New  Orleans,  the 
trade  of  the  city  was  mainly  in  the  hands  of  the  English.  He  soon 
broke  this  up,  however,  refusing  to  admit  any  English  vessels  to  New 
Orleans.  The  commercial  privileges  of  the  city  were,  however,  gradu- 
ally extended.  Trade  was  allowed  with  Campeachy  and  the  French 
and  Spanish  West  Indies,  under  certain  restrictions.  The  importa- 
tion of  slaves  from  these  islands  had  long  been  forbidden  on  ac- 
count  of   the    insurrectionary    spirit   which    existed    among   them,   but 


16  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

the  trade  in  Guinea  negroes  was  encouraged.  1778,  Galvez  gave  New 
Orleans  the  right  to  trade  with  any  port  in  France,  or  of  the  thirteen 
British  colonies,  then  engaged  in  their  struggle  for  independence. 
In  1776,  Oliver  Pollock,  at  the  head  of  a  number  of  merchants  from 
New  York,  Philadelphia  and  Boston,  w^ho  had  established  themselves 
in  New  Orleans,  began,  with  the  countenance  of  Galvez,  to  supply, 
by  fleets  of  large  canoes,  the  agents  of  the  American  cause  with  arms 
and  ammunition  delivered  at  Fort  Pitt  (Pittsburgh). 

On  Good  Friday,  March  21,  1780,  occurred  the  great  conflagration 
which  destroyed  nearly  the  entire  city.  It  began  in  Chartres  street 
near  St.  Louis,  in  the  private  chapel  of  Don  Vincento  Jose  Nunez,  the 
military  treasurer  of  the  colony.  The  buildings  on  the  immediate 
river  front  escaped,  but  the  central  portion  of  the  town,  including  the 
entire  commercial  quarter,  the  dwellings  of  the  leading  inhabitants, 
the  town  hall,  the  arsenal,  the  jail,  the  parish  church  and  the  quar- 
ters of  the  Capuchins  were  completely  destroyed.  Nineteen  squares 
and  856  houses  were  destroyed  in  this  fire. 

Six  years  later,  on  December  8,  1794,  some  children  playing  in  a 
court  on  Royal  street,  too  near  an  adjoining  hay  store,  set  fire  to  it. 
A  strong  north  wind  was  blowing  at  the  time,  and  in  three  hours  212 
dwellings  and  stores  in  the  heart  of  the  town  were  destroyed.  The 
cathedral,  lately  founded  on  the  site  of  the  church,  burned  in  1788, 
escaped;  but  the  pecuniary  loss  exceeded  that  of  the  previous  confla- 
gration, which  had  been  estimated  at  $2,600,000  Only  two  stores 
were  left  standing,  and  a  large  portion  of  the  population  was  com- 
pelled to  camp  out  in  the  Place  d'Armes  and  on  the  levee. 

Afterwards  New  Orleans  now  made  rapid  improvement.  Don 
Andres  Almonaster  y  Roxas,  father  of  Baroness  Pontalba,  erected  a 
handsome  row  of  brick  buildings  on  both  sides  of  the  Place  d'Armes, 
where  the  Pontalba  buildings  now  stand,  making  the  fashionable  re- 
tail quarter  of  the  town.  In  1787  he  built  on  Ursuline  street  a  chapel 
of  stucco  brick  for  the  nuns.  The  Charity  Hospital,  founded  in 
1737  by  a  sailor  named  Jean  Louis,  on  Rampart,  between  St.  Louis 
and  Toulouse,  then  outside  of  the  town  limits,  was  destroyed  in  1779 
by  the  hurrcane.  In  1784,  Almonaster  began  and  two  years  later 
completed,  at  a  cost  of  $114,000,  on  the  same  site,  a  brick  edifice, 
which  he  called  the  Charity  Hospital  of  St.  Charles,  a  name  the  in- 


\  AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  17 

stitution  still  bears.  In  1792  he  began  the  erection  upon  the  site  of 
the  parish  church,  destroyed  by  fire  in  1788,  of  a  brick  building,  and 
ill  1794,  when  Louisiana  and  Florida  were  erected  into  a  bishopric 
separate  from  Havana,  this  church,  suflSciently  completed  for  occu- 
pation, became  the  St.  Louis  Cathedral.  Later  still,  he  filled  the  void 
made  b}-  the  burning  of  the  town  hall  and  the  jail,  which,  until  the 
conflagration,  had  stood  on  the  south  side  of  the  church,  facing  the 
Place  d'Armes,  with  the  hall  of  the  Cabildo,  the  same  that  stands  at 
this  time,  consecrated  to  the  courts,  with  the  exception  of  the  upper 
story  added  since,  the  French  roof  which  at  present  distorts  its  archi- 
tecture. 

The  Government  itself  completed  very  substantially  the  barracks 
begun  by  Governor  Kerlerec,  on  Barracks  street.  Close  by,  it  built 
a  military  hospital  and  chapel,  and  near  the  upper  river  corner  of  the 
town,  on  the  square  now  occupied  for  the  same  purpose,  but  which 
was  then  directly  on  the  river,  it  put  up  a  woodencustom  house.  The 
"Old  French  market"  on  the  river  front,  just  below  the  Place  d'Armes, 
was  erected  and  known  as  the  Halle  de  Boucheries. 

In  1794  Governor  Carondelet  began,  and  in  the  following  two  years 
finished,  with  the  aid  of  a  large  force  of  slaves,  the  excavation  of  the 
"old  basin,"  and  the  Carondelet  Canal,  connecting  New  Orleans  with 
Bayou  St.  John  and  Lake  Pontchartrain. 

In  1791  the  Creoles  of  New  Orleans  became  infected  with  Repub- 
licanism, and  Carondelet  found  it  necessary  to  take  the  same  pre- 
cautions with  New  Orleans  as  if  he  had  held  a  town  of  the  enemy. 
The  Marseillaise  was  wildly  called  for  at  the  theater  which  some 
French  refugees  from  San  Domingo  had  opened,  and  in  the  drinking 
shops  was  sung,  "Ca  ira,  ca  ira,  les  aristocrates  a  la  lanterne." 

To  ensure  safety  the  fortifications  of  the  city  were  rebuilt,  being 
completed  in  1794.  They  consisted  of  a  fort,  St.  Charles,  at  the  lower 
river  front,  with  barracks  for  150  men,  and  a  parapet  18  feet  thick 
faced  with  brick,  a  ditch  and  a  covered  way;  Fort  St.  Louis,  at  the 
upper  river  corner,  was  similar  to  this  in  all  regards.  The  armament 
of  these  was  twelve  12  and  18-pounders.  At  the  corner  of  Canal  and 
Rampart  street  was  Fort  Burgundy;  on  the  present  Beauregard  square, 
Fort  St.  Joseph,  and  what  is  now  the  corner  of  Rampart  and  Esplanade 
street,  Fort  St.  Ferdinan.     The  wall  which  passed  from  fort  to  fort 


18 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


Creole  Mammy -French   Quarters 


was  15  feet  high,  with  a  fosse  in  front,  7  feet  deep  and  40  feet  wide, 
kept  filled  with  water   from  the   Carondelet   Canal. 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  19 

In  1794,  Etienne  de  Bore,  whose  plantation  occupied  the  site  where 
the  Seventh  District  of  New  Orleans  (Carrollton)  now  stands,  suc- 
ceeded in  producing  $12,000  worth  of  superior  sugar,  and  introduced 
sugar  culture  into  Louisiana. 

In  1793,  the  citizens  of  the  colony  were  granted  the  valuable  con- 
cession of  an  open  commerce  with  Europe  and  America,  and  a  num- 
ber of  merchants  from  Philadelphia  established  commercial  houses 
in  New  Orleans.  On  October  20,  1795,  was  signed  at  Madrid  the  treaty, 
which  declared  the  Mississippi  free  to  the  people  of  the  United 
States,  and  New  Orleans  a  port  of  deposit  for  three  years  free  of  any 
charge. 

On  the  1st  of  October,  1800,  Louisiana  was  transferred  by  Spain 
to  France.  It  was  not,  however,  until  March  26,  1803,  that  the  French 
colonial  prefect,  Laussat,  landed  at  New  Orleans,  commissioned  to 
prepare  for  the  expected  arrival  of  General  Victor,  with  a  large  force 
of  French  troops.  Instead  of  General  Victor,  however,  a  vessel  from 
France  brought  the  news  in  July  that  Louisiana  had  been  purchased 
by  the  United  States.  On  November  3,  with  troops  drawn  up  in  line 
on  the  Place  d'Armes,  and  with  discharges  of  artillery,  Salcedo,  the 
Spanish  Governor,  in  the  hall  of  the  Cabildo,  delivered  the  keys  of 
New  Orleans  to  Laussat.  On  the  20th  of  the  next  month,  Laussat, 
with  similar  ceremonies,  turned  Louisiana  over  to  Commissioners 
Claiborne  and  Wilkinson,  and  New  Orleans  became  a  part  of  the 
United  States.  At  that  time,  with  its  suburbs,  it  possessed  a  popula- 
tion of  10,000,  the  great  majority  of  the  white  population  being 
Creoles. 


20  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


OLD    NEW   ORLEANS   AS    IT   WAS. 


Its   Main    Points   of   Interest  Yet   to   be   Seen   by  Tourists. 

From  the  Levee  (now  Decatur  street)  the  town  extended  in  depth 
(on  paper)  about  600  yards,  although  Dauphine  street  was  in  reality 
the  limit  of  the  inhabited  quarter  in  that  direction.  The  line  of  what 
is  now  Rampart  street  was  occupied  by  the  palisaded  fortification, 
w^ith  a  few  forts,  all  in  a  greater  or  less  condition  of  dilapidation. 
At  the  upper  end  of  the  ramparts  was  Fort  St.  Louis,  and  on  the 
ground  now  known  as  Beauregard  square,  was  Fort  St.  Ferdinand,  the 
chief  place  for  bull  and  bear  fights.  Esplanade  street  was  a  fortifica- 
tion, beginning  at  Fort  St.  Ferdinand  and  ending  at  its  junction  with 
the  ramparts  on  Rampart  street.  Along  what  is  now  Canal  street 
was  a  moat  filled  with  water,  which  terminated  at  a  military  gate  on 
the  Chemin  des  Tchoupitoulas,  near  the  levee.  Thus  was  the  city 
protected  from  siege  and  attack. 

Along  the  river  the  city's  upper  limit  of  houses  was  at  about  St. 
Louis  street,  and  the  lower  at  about  St.  Philip.  The  Spanish  barracks 
on  Canal  street  covered  the  whole  block  between  what  are  now 
known   as   Hospital   and  Barracks   streets. 

The  house  occupied  by  the  Spanish  Governor-General  of  the 
province  was  situated  at  the  corner  of  Toulouse  and  the  Levee.  It 
was  a  plain  residence  of  one  story,  with  the  aspect  of  an  inn.  It 
fronted  the  river.  One  side  was  bordered  by  a  narrow  and  unpre- 
tending garden  in  the  form  of  a  parterre,  and  on  the  other  side  ran 
a  low  gallery  screened  by  latticework,  while  the  back  yard,  inclosed 
by  fences,  contained  the  kitchens  and  the  stables.  This  house  was 
burned  down  in  1827,  after  having  been  used  for  the  sessions  of  the 
Legislature. 

Other  public  buildings,  now  passed  away,  were  the  Military  or 
Royal  Hospital,  the  Public  or  Charity  Hospital,  and  a  convent  of 
Ursuline  nuns. 

Of  the  public  buildings  which  are  familiar  to  the  eyes  of  the  present 
generation,  only  the  French  market,  the  Cathedral,  and  the  Cabildo,  or 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  21 

"^ty  Hall,  adjoining  the  Cathedral  at  the  corner  of  St.  Peter  and 
jhartres  streets,  still  remain.  The  Cathedral  was  not  yet  finished 
jnd  lacked  those  quaint  white  Spanish  towers  and  the  central  belfry, 
which  in  1814  and  1815,  were  added  to  it.  The  "Very  Illustrious 
Cabildo,"  which  held  weekly  meetings  in  this  building,  was  the 
municipal  body  of  New  Orleans.  It  was  composed  of  twelve  indi- 
viduals called  regidors  and  was  presided  over  by  the  Governor- 
General  or  his  Civil  Lieutenant.  Jackson  Square,  called  then  the  Place 
d'Armes,  was  used  as  a  review  ground  for  the  troops,  and  was  resorted 
to  by  nurses  and  children,  the  elders  taking  their  "airing"  on  the 
Levee,  or  the  Grand  Chemin,  that  fronted  the  houses  of  the  rue  de  la 
Levee.  It  was  then  but  a  grass  plot,  barren  of  trees  and  used  as  a 
playground  by  the  children.  It  was  rather  a  ghostly  place,  too,  for 
children  to  pla3^  A  wooden  gallows  stood  in  the  middle  of  it  for 
several  years  and  more  than  one  poor  fellow  was  swung  off  into 
eternity,  about  the  spot  where  General  Jackson  now  sits  in  eflBgy. 
Then  there  were  no  trees  and  no  flowers,  and  no  watchman  to  drive 
away  the  little  fellows  at  play.  The  gallows  was  not  the  only  stern 
and  forboding  and  uncongenial  thing  about  the  place  either,  for  the 
calabosa  stood  just  opposite — it  is  the  police  station  now. 

Here,  in  front  of  the  Place  d'Armes,  everything  was  congregated — 
the  Cathedral  Church  of  St.  Louis,  the  convent  of  the  Capuchins,  the 
Government  House,  the  colonial  prison  or  calabosa,  and  the  Govern- 
ment warehouses.  Around  the  square  stretched  the  leading  boutiques 
and  restaurants  of  the  town;  on  the  side,  was  the  market  or  Halles, 
where  not  only  meat,  fruit  and  vegetables  were  sold,  but  hats,  shoes 
and  handkerchiefs;  while  in  front  was  the  public  landing.  Indeed, 
here  was  the  religious,  military,  industrial,  commercial  and  social 
center  of  the  city;  here  the  troops  paraded  on  fete  days,  and  here 
even  the  public  executions  took  place,  the  criminals  being  either  shot, 
or  nailed  alive  in  their  coffins  and  then  slowly  sawed   in  half. 

Lake  Pontchartrain  was  connected  with  New  Orleans  by  the  Caron- 
delet  Canal  and  the  Bayou  St.  John,  by  which  water-way  schooners 
reached  the  city  from  the  lake  and  the  neighboring  Gulf  coast.  The 
canal  served,  moreover,  to  drain  the  marshy  district  through  which 
it  ran  to  give  outlet  to  the  standing  waters. 

With  the  exception  of  Levee,  Chartres,  Royal  and  perhaps  Bour- 
bon streets  in  the  direction  of  its  breadth,  and  the  streets  included 


22  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

between  St.  Louis  and  St.  Philip  in  its  length,  the  city  was  more  in 
outline  than  in  fact.  The  other  streets  comprised  within  the  limits 
of  the  town  were  regularly  laid  out,  it  is  true,  but  they,  as  well  as 
the  faubourg,  were  but  sparsely  settled.  Along  Levee  street,  Chartres 
and  Royal,  and  on  the  intersecting  squares  included  between  them,  the 
houses  were  of  brick,  sometimes  of  two  stories,  but  generally  one 
story  high,   with   small,   narrow   balconies.     These   had   been   erected 


City    Hall. 


within  a  few  years,  and  since  the  disastrous  fires  of  the  years  178S  and 
1794,  terrible  calamities  which  had  compelled  the  inhabitants  to  flee 
for  safety  to  the  Place  d'Armes  and  the  Levee  to  avoid  death  by  the 
flames.  Farther  back  in  the  town  the  houses  were  of  an  inferior 
grade,  one  story  in  height,  built  of  cypress  and  resting  on  founda- 
tions of  piles  and  bricks,  and  with  shingled  roofs.     On  the  outskirts 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  23 

and  in  the  faubourg  the  houses  were  little  better  than  shanties.  The 
sidewalks  were  four  or  five  feet  wide,  but  walking  was  sometimes 
rendered  difficult  by  the  projecting  steps  of  the  houses.  In  1822  St. 
Charles  street  was  paved  for  several  blocks,  and  patches  of  pavement 
were  made  on  other  streets. 

Prior  to  1815,  and,  indeed,  for  some  years  afterward,  the  city  was 
lighted  by  means  of  oil  lamps  suspended  from  wooden  posts,  from 
which  an  arm  projected.  The  light  only  penetrated  a  very  short  dis- 
tance, and  it  was  the  custom  always  to  use  lanterns  on  the  streets. 
The  order  of  march,  when  a  family  went  out  in  the  evening,  was 
first,  a  slave  bearing  a  lantern;  then  another  slave  bearing  the  shoes 
Vv'hich  were  to  be  worn  in  the  ball-room  or  theatre,  and  other  arti- 
cles of  full  dress  that  were  donned  only  after  the  destination  was 
reached;  and,  last,  the  family. 

There  were  no  cisterns  in  those  days,  the  water  of  the  Mississippi, 
filtrated,  serving  as  drinking  water,  while  water  for  common  house- 
hold needs  was  obtained  from  wells  dug  on  the  premises.  Some 
houses  possessed  as  many  as  two  of  these  wells. 

New  Orleans,  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  was  woefully  de- 
ficient in  promenades,  drives  and  places  of  public  amusement.  The 
favorite  promenade  was  the  Levee  with  its  King's  road,  or  Chemin  des 
Tchoupitoulas,  where  twelve  or  fifteen  Louisiana  willow  trees  were 
planted,  facing  the  street  corners,  and  in  whose  shade  were  wooden 
benches  without  backs,  upon  which  people  sat  in  the  afternoon,  shel- 
tered from  the  setting  sun.  These  trees,  which  grow  rapidly,  extended 
from  about  St.  Louis  street  to  St.  Philip.  Outside  the  city  limits  was 
the  Bayou  road,  with  all  its  inconveniences  of  mud  or  dust,  leading  to 
the  small  plantations  or  truck  farms  forming  the  Gentilly  District 
and  to  those  of  the  Metairie  ridge.  It  was  the  fashion  to  spend  an 
hour  or  two  in  the  evening  on  this  road,  riding  on  horseback  or  in 
carriages  of  more  or  less  elegance.  Almost  up  to  the  year  1800  the 
women  of  the  city,  with  few  exceptions,  dressed  with  extreme  sim- 
plicity. But  little  taste  was  displayed  either  in  the  cut  of  their  gar- 
ments, or  in  their  ornaments.  Head-gear  was  almost  unknown.  If  a 
lady  went  out  in  summer,  it  was  bareheaded;  if  in  winter,  she  usually 
wore  a  handkerchief  or  some  such  trifle  as  the  Spanish  women  de- 
light in.     And  at  home,  when  the  men  were  not  about — so,  at  least. 


24  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

said  those  who  penetrated  there — she  even  went  about  barefooted, 
shoes   being  expensive  luxuries. 

A  short  round  skirt,  a  long  basque-like  over  garment;  the  upper 
part  of  their  attire  of  one  color  and  the  lower  of  another,  with  a  pro- 
fuse display  of  ribbons  and  little  jewelry — thus  dressed,  the  mass  of 
the  female  population  of  good  condition  went  about  visiting,  or  at- 
tending the  ball  or  theater.  But  even  three  years  had  made  a  great 
change  in  this  respect;  and  in  1802,  for  some  reason  that  it  would 
be  difficult  to  explain,  the  ladies  of  the  city  appeared  in  attire  as 
different  from  that  of  1799  as  could  be  imagined.  A  surprising  rich- 
ness and  elegance  of  apparel  had  taken  the  place  of  the  primitive  and 
tasteless  garb  of  the  few  preceding  years — a  garb  which,  had  it  been 
seen  at  the  ball  or  theater  in  1802,  would  have  resembled  to  the 
critical  feminine  eye  a  Mardi  Gras  disguise.  At  that  period  the 
natural  charms  of  the  ladies  were  heightened  by  a  toilette  of  most 
captivating  details.  Their  dresses  w^ere  of  the  richest  embroidered 
muslins,  cut  in  the  latest  fashions,  relieved  by  soft  and  brilliant  trans- 
parent taffetas,  by  superb  laces,  and  embroidered  with  gold.  To 
this  must  be  added  rich  ear-rings,  collars,  bracelets,  rings  and  other 
adornments.  This  costume,  it  is  true,  was  for  rare  occasions,  and  for 
pleasant  weather;  but  it  was  a  sample  of  the  high  art  in  dress  that 
had  come  just  in  the  nick  of  time  to  greet  the  fast-approaching  Ameri- 
can occupation. 

In  1802,  New  Orleans  possessed  a  theater — such  as  it  was — situated 
on  St.  Peter  street,  in  the  middle  of  the  block  between  Royal  and 
Bourbon,  on  the  lefthand  side  going  toward  the  swamp.  It  was  a 
long,  low  wooden  structure,  built  of  cypress  and  alarmingly  exposed 
to  the  dangers  of  fire.  Here,  in  1799,  half  a  dozen  actors  and  actresses, 
refugees  from  the  insurrection  in  San  Domingo,  gave  acceptable  per- 
formances, rendering  comedy,  drama,  vaudeville  and  comic  operas. 
But  owing  to  various  causes  the  drama  at  this  place  of  amusement 
fell  into  decline,  the  theater  was  closed  after  two  years,  and  the  ma- 
jority of  the  actors  and  musicians  were  scattered. 

The  devotees  of  the  dance  in  those  primitive  days  were  compelled 
by  circumstances  to  satisfy  themselves  with  accommodations  of  the 
plainest  description  in  the  exercise  of  this  amusement  in  public.  In 
a  plain,  ill-conditioned,  ill-lighted  room  in  a  wooden  building  situated 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  25 

on  Conde  street,  between  Ste.  Ann  and  Du  Maine — a  hall  perhaps 
eighty  feet  long  and  thirty  feet  wide — the  adepts  of  Terpsichore  met, 
unmasked,  during  the  months  of  January  and  February,  in  what  was 
called  the  Carnival  season,  to  indulge,  at  the  cost  of  fifty  cents  per 
head  for  entrance  fee,  in  the  fatiguing  pleasure  of  the  contre-danses  of 
that  day.  Some  came  to  dance,  others  to  look  on.  Along  the  sides 
of  the  hall  were  ranged  boxes,  ascending  gradually,  in  which  usually 
sat  the  non-dancing  mammas  and  the  wall-flowers  of  more  tender 
years.  Below  these  boxes  or  loges  were  ranged  seats  for  the  benefit 
of  the  wearied  among  the  fair  dancers,  and  between  these  benches 
and  chairs  was  a  space  some  three  feet  in  width,  which  was  usually 
packed  with  the  male  dancers,  awaiting  their  turn,  and  the  lookers-on. 
The  musicians  were  composed  usually  of  five  or  six  gipsies;  and  to 
the  notes  of  their  volins  the  dance  went  on  gayly. 

Tradition  has  preserved  the  memory  of  quarrels  and  affrays  that 
originated  in,  or  were  developed  from  this  ball-room.  Sometimes  these 
quarrels  ended  in  duels  with  fatal  results.  To  tread  on  one's  toes, 
to  brush  against  one,  or  to  carry  off  by  mistake  the  lady  with  whom 
one  was  to  dance,  was  ample  grounds  for  a  challenge.  Everything 
was  arranged.  A  group  of  five  or  six  young  men  would  quietly  slip 
young  man  who  had  received  the  fearful  insult  of  a  crushed  corn 
dropped  his  lady  partner  with  her  chaperone,  and  had  a  few  minutes' 
conversation  with  some  friend  of  his.  In  a  very  short  time  everything 
v/as  arranged.  A  group  of  five  or  six  young  men  yould  quietly  slip 
out  of  the  ball-room  with  a  careless,  indifferent  smile  on  their  faces. 
A  proper  place  was  close  at  hand.  Just  back  of  the  Cathedral  was  a 
little  plot  of  ground,  known  as  St.  Anthony  Square,  dedicated  to 
church  purposes,  but  never  used,  A  heavy  growth  of  shrubbery  and 
evergreens  concealed  the  central  portion  of  this  square  from  observa- 
tion; and  here,  in  the  very  heart  of  the  town  and  only  a  few  steps 
from  the  public  ball-room  on  the  rue  d'Orleans,  a  duel  could  be  carried 
on  comfortably  and  without  the  least  danger  of  interruption.  If 
colchemards,  or  Creole  rapiers,  which  were  generally  used,  and  are 
to  this  day,  in  Creole  duels,  could  be  obtained,  they  were  brought 
into  use;  but,  if  this  was  impossible,  the  young  men  had  to  content 
themselves  with  sword-canes.  According  to  the  French  code,  the  first 
blood,  however  slight,  satisfied  jealous  honor.     The  swords  were  put 


26 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


up  again;  the  victorious  duelist  returned  to  complete  his  dance,  while 
his  victim  went  home  to  bandage  himself  up. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  with  England,  New  Orleans  began  to 
grow  rapidly,  and  overflowed  beyond  its  ancient  boundaries.  The  old 
Marigny  plantation  below  had  been  cut  up  into  squares,  and  new- 
comers  were   building  there,  whilst  above,   scattered  houses   showed 


Sugar    Landing. 


that  the  people  could  not  be  confined  to  the  narrow  and  restricted 
limits  of  the  ramparts.  A  new  and  larger  prison  became  necessary, 
and  in  1834  the  foundations  for  the  old  Parish  Prison  were  laid  just 
back  of  Congo  Square.  As  soon  as  it  was  completed  all  the  prison- 
ers were  carried  thither,  and  the  work  of  demolishing  the  calaboose 
was  commenced.     It  was  a  work  of  much  more  difficulty  than  was  ex- 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  27 

pected.  The  mortar  of  the  Spaniards,  made  from  the  lime  of  lake 
shells,  was  as  tenacious  as  the  most  durable  cement,  and  would  not 
yield.  It  was  found  easier  to  cut  through  the  solid  bricks  than  to  try 
to  separate  them;  and,  therefore,  the  work  of  tearing  the  old  donjon 
down  occupied  some  time.  There  is  a  story  of  how  the  workmen  dis- 
covered skeletons  bricked  up  in  the  walls,  and  chains  and  shackles 
in  the  vaults,  but  none  of  our  citizens  who  were  living  at  that  time 
ever  saw  any  of  those  ghastly  souvenirs  of  Spanish  rule. 

Beneath  the  building,  it  is  true,  they  came  across  some  three  or 
four  deep  vaults,  which  had  not  apparently  been  used  for  years,  and 
this  was  enough  to  give  rise  to  the  report  that  they  had  discovered 
the  dungeons  of  the  Spanish  Inquisition.  The  tale  has  come  down,  and 
many  old  Creoles  still  believe  it. 

New  Orleans   In  1805. 

Governor  Claiborne,  when  he  came  down  here  to  inspect  Louisiana 
and  take  possession  of  New  Orleans,  noticed  among  the  curiosities 
and  striking  buildings  of  the  city  a  sawmill  with  two  saws  turned  by 
horses,  a  wooden-horse  riding  circus  for  children,  a  French  theater, 
two  banks,  a  custom  house,  navy  yard,  barracks,  a  fort,  public  store- 
houses, government  house  (its  hospital  has  been  lately  burnt),  a  Catho- 
lic Church  of  the  first  order  in  size  and  elegance,  and  the  Capitol,  a 
superb  building  adjoining  the  church,  both  built  by  a  Spaniard,  at  an 
expense  of  half  a  million  dollars,  and  presented  by  him  to  the  Spanish 
Government  at  New  Orleans.  The  cotton  presses  of  the  city  give 
much  labor,  and  the  pressing  song  of  the  men  is  interesting.  It  is 
similar  to  the  'heave  hoi"  of  the  sailor,  with  this  difference,  that 
several  are  engaged  in  singing,  and  each  has  his  part,  consisting  of 
two  or  three  appropriate  words,  tuned  to  his  own  fancy,  so  as  to 
make  harmony  with  the  other.  Other  presses  go  by  horse  and  steam, 
where  the  men  have  no  other  labor  than  rolling  in  the  bales,  untying, 
retying,  etc.     They  repress  a  bale  in  seven  or  ten  minutes. 


28  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

REMINISCENT. 


As   Gleaned  from   a   Manuscript  Written    in    1822. 

Among  the  public  buildings  standing  in  1822  may  be  mentioned: 
The  City  Hall,  or  Principal,  with  a  front  on  Chartres  street  of  103 
feet,  built  in  1795,  in  which  are  the  City  Council  chamber,  city  officers 
and  city  guard;  the  City  and  State  Prisons,  on  St.  Peters  street,  in 
the  rear  of  and  adjoining  the  City  Hall;  the  Presbytice,  with  a  front 
on  Conde  street  of  114  feet,  built  in  1813,  in  which  the  Supreme,  Dis- 
trict and  Parish  Courts  hold  their  sessions;  the  Government  House, 
built  in  1761,  where  the  Legislature  meets  and  in  which  the  Treas- 
urer's office  and  the  Orleans  Library,  of  about  6,000  volumes;  the  Cus- 
tomhouse, a  spacious,  plain  brick  building,  with  a  coating  of  white 
plaster,  situated  on  the  levee,  where,  besides  the  offices  connected 
with  the  customs,  are  the  United  States  District  court-room,  and  offices 
of  the  United  States  District  Clerk,  Attorney,  Marshal  and  Land;  the 
Charity  Hospital,  on  Canal  street,  a  large  building,  erected  in  1815; 
the  Ursuline  Convent,  built  in  1733;  the  New  Orleans  College,  built 
1812;  the  Market  House,  a  neat  building  about  300  feet  long,  situated 
on  the  levee,  near  the  Place  d'Armes,  contains  more  than  100  stalls, 
erected  in  1813;  the  Orleans  Theater,  with  Davis'  Hotel,  and  the  Or- 
leans Ball-room,  a  considerable  pile  of  brick  buildings,  first  erected 
in  1813,  destroyed  by  fire  in  1815,  rebuilt  and  furnished  with  a  very 
handsome  front  and  interior  decorations  in  1816  (there  were  dramatic 
performances  here  almost  every  night  throughout  the  year  by  full 
and  respectable  French  and  English  companies,  who  played  alter- 
nately) ;  the  St.  Philip  street  Theater,  a  neat  brick  building,  with  a 
handsome  interior,  erected  in  1810.  The  public  expectation,  for  a  long 
time  manifested  for  an  American  theater,  will  soon  be  realized,  as 
Mr.  Caldwell,  the  manager  of  the  American  Theater,  has  prepared 
the  ground  between  Gravier  ad  Poydras  streets  for  a  theater.  Liberal 
subscriptions  have  been  made,  and  it  is  said  that  the  foundation  of  a 
large  and  elegant  edifice,  to  be  styled  the  American  Theater,  will  be 
laid  in  June  next.  A  new  brick  market  house,  42  feet  in  width,  by 
from  200  to  250  feet  in  length.  Is  to  be  built  immediately  on  the  upper 
end  of  the  batture,  between  St.  Joseph  and  Delord  streets.     A  new 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  29 

and  handsome  brick  building  is  to  be  erected  at  the  corner  of  Orleans 
and  Bourbon  streets,  for  the  accommodation  of  all  the  courts  and 
public  offiers  of  the  parish.  It  is  contemplated  to  build  a  corn  and 
vegetable  market.  The  State  Bank  is  a  neat  brick  building  with  a  coat 
of  white  plastering,  and  there  are  two  other  banks,  kept  in  buildings 
that  were  formerly  dwellings,  altered  for  their  reception.  The 
Louisiana  Insurance  Office  is  a  small  but  neat  brick  building.  The 
United  States  Navy  Yard  and  stores,  a  marine  barracks,  quartermas- 
ters' stores,  an  ordnance  arsenal,  with  a  great  number  of  mounted 
field  and  battering  cannon,  mortars,  shells,  balls  and  other  imple- 
ments of  war;  and  a  fine  commodious  building,  erected  exclusively 
for  the  accommodation  of  different  lodges  and  Free  Masons,  may  be 
mentioned  as  the  most  important  buildings  in  the  city. 

Among  the  public  institutions  of  this  city  are  a  branch  of  the 
United  States  Bank,  and  two  others,  whose  joint  capital  is  $3,000,000 
— three  insurance  companies,  whose  joint  capital  is  $1,000,000.  Be- 
sides there  are  agents  of  four  foreign  insurance  companies;  the  New 
Orleans  Library  Society,  two  medical  societies,  and  a  Board  of  Medi- 
cal   Examiners. 

There  are  no  less  than  nineteen  lodges  of  the  various  orders  of 
Free  Masons  in  New  Orleans,  and  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Louisiana  was 
formed  and  constituted  on  the  twentieth  day  of  the  month  of  June, 
1820,  and  of  Masonry,  5820,by  five  regular  lodges  which  then  existed 
in  the  State,  and  deriving  their  charters  from  the  Grand  Lodge  of 
Pennsylvania.  There  is  a  "Female  Charity  Society,"  the  object  of 
which  is  to  relieve  women  and  children  laboring  under  sickness,  and 
for  the  accommodation  of  whom  it  is  contemplated  to  build  a  hospital. 
There  are  several  handsome  ball  rooms,  where  balls  are  frequent  and 
well  attended  by  the  inhabitants,  more  particularly  the  French. 

The  means  for  extinguishing  fires  are  twelve  fire  engines  and  hose, 
ladders,  hooks,  and  a  great  number  of  leather  fire-buckets;  "the 
Washington  Fire  Society"  has  been  formed  for  the  protection  of 
property;  each  member  is  provided  with  two  leather  buckets,  two 
bags  four  feet  long,  a  bed-screw  and  a  knapsack.  The  citizens,  during 
fires,  are  generally  active,  are  set  a  worthy  example  by  the  indefa- 
tigable Mayor  and  Fire  Wardens,  who,  on  an  alarm,  are  amongst  the 
first  to  repair  to  the   spot.     In  order  to  remedy  the  evil  of  fire,  no 


30 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


i.5 


Gen'l   Rob't  E.  Lee  Monument,  Lee  Circle. 


other  than  brick  houses  are   allowed  to  be  erected  within  the   com- 
pactly built  part  of  the  city. 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  31 

Perhaps  no  city  in  tlie  Union  can  boast  of  being  better  lighted  than 
New  Orleans.  There  are  250  of  the  most  complete  and  brilliant  re- 
flecting lamps,  suspended  to  iron  chains,  which  are  stretched  from  the 
corners  of  houses  or  high  posts,  diagonally  across  the  junctions  of 
the  various  streets,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  be  seen  in  a  range  from 
the  middle  of  any  street,  the  cost  of  which  is  about  forty-five  dollars 
each. 

The  following  were  the  various  branches  of  manufactures  and  busi- 
ness carried  on  in  the  city  and  suburbs  of  New  Orleans  at  that  time, 
embracing  the  professional,  mercantile,  mechanical  and  other  estab- 
lishments, namely:  Many  physicians  and  counsellors-at-law;  260  mer- 
cantile establishments,  wholesale  grocery  and  dry  goods  merchants, 
carrying  on  an  extensive  trade  in  produce  and  merchandise;  seven 
auctioneers,  with  a  great  business;  102  retail  dry  goods  stores,  twenty- 
seven  millinery  and  fancy  stores  and  a  number  of  small  shops  of  vari- 
ous kinds;  a  number  of  billiard  tables;  the  Planters  and  Merchants' 
Hotel,  a  spacious  building,  60  feet  front,  situated  on  Canal  street,  con- 
taining upwards  of  one  hundred  rooms,,  besides  which  there  were 
other  very  extensive  hotels  and  coffee  houses  that  had  not  their 
superiors  in  the  Union;  350  taverns  and  groceries,  retail,  and  seventy 
groceries  that  sell  by  wholesale,  besides  a  number  of  porter  and 
oyster  houses,  etc.;  one  public  bathhouse,  two  fumigating  bath  houses; 
thirty-two  blacksmiths,  five  brass  founders,  one  bell-hanger,  thirty- 
seven  barbers,  one  brewery,  twelve  bricklayers;  nine  book  and  sta- 
tionery stores,  four  bookbinders;  the  New  Orleans  Society  Library, 
kept  in  the  Government  House,  containing  6,000  volumes,  principally 
in  French  and  English,  and  one  English  and  one  French  circulating 
library;  nine  book  and  newspaper  printing  offices;  the  following  daily 
gazettes  were  printed:  "The  Louisiana  Courier,"  the  "Orleans  Ga- 
zette and  Commercial  Advertiser,"  the  "Louisiana  Advertiser,"  the 
"Friend  of  the  Lav/s,"  the  "Louisiana  Gazette,"  and  the  "Commercial 
Report,"  a  weekly  paper;  three  of  these  were  printed  in  French  and 
the  same  number  in  English;  one  lithographic  printer,  many  commis- 
sion and  exchange  brokers,  four  lottery  offices,  thirty-seven  coopers, 
fifty-three  cabinet  makers;  many  builders,  carpenters  and  bricklay- 
ers; six  large  steam  sawmills,  one  of  which  was  of  brick,  embracing  a 
gristmill,  and  was  built  by  Dr.  Geo.  Hunter;  105  cordwainers,  employ- 


32  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

ing  153  persons;    sixteen  confectioners  and   pastry  cooks;    a  number 
of  public  officers;  several  surveyors;  four  carvers  and  gilders,  thirteen 
coach  and  harness  makers,  forty-four  coach,  sign,  ship  and  ornamental 
painters,  glaziers  and  paper-hangers;   thirteen  portrait  and  miniature 
painters;    several  landscape  and  scene  painters;   four  musical  instru- 
ment makers  and  stores; many  musicians,  dancing  and  fencing  mas- 
ters;   two  chocolate  manufacturers,  six  cutters,  a  number  of  French 
and   English    comedians,    five    chair    stores    and   makers,    twenty-four 
drug  and  apothecary  stores;    six  large  rum  distilleries,  three  for  gin 
and  nine  for  cordials;   seven  dentists,  four  dyers  and  scourers,  three 
engravers;    two  iron  founders,  lately  established;    one  fringe   maker, 
a  number  of  gardeners,  fowlers,  fishermen,  oystermen,  boatmen,  mari- 
ners,   caulkers,    stevedores,    riggers    and    ship    carpenters;     five    sail 
makers;  three  furniture  stores,  thirteen  glass,  china  and  queens  ware 
stores;  seventeen  gunsmiths;  a  very  great  number  of  would-be  gentle- 
men and  ladies;    or,  in  other  words,   persons   who  had  no   apparent 
business;    four  working  hatter  shops;   fifty-six  hat,  shoe  and  clothing 
stores;   twenty-one  hardware  and  ship  chandlery  stores;   a  number  of 
perfumeries  and  hair  dressers,  two  ice  houses,  one  laboratory;    sev- 
eral large  livery  stable  and  veterinary  hospitals,  a  number  of  wood 
and  lumber   merchants,   two   last  makers,   one   screw   cutter,    several 
mill-wrights  and  engineers,  one  mathematical  instrument  maker,  two 
mineral  water  establishments,  a  number  of  mid-wives  and  nurses,  many 
notaries,  translators,  interpreters  and  ship  brokers;   three  pump,  block 
and  mast  makers;   one  plumber,  two  rope-walks,  twelve  saddlers  and 
saddlery  stores,  one  sugar  refinery,  four  stone-cutters,  one  spectacle- 
maker,  two  sculptors,  many  shoeblacks,  sixty-two  working  tailor-shops, 
nineteen  tin  and  copper  smiths;   a  great  number  of  traders,  peddlers 
and   traveling   merchants,   of    all    colors;    four   tanners    and    curriers, 
seventy-seven  tobacconists  and  sugar  makers,  employing  417  hands; 
four  soap  and  candle  manufacturers,  eight  turners  in  wood  and  metals, 
a  number  of  victuallers  and  sausage  makers,  twenty-six  watchmakers, 
gold  and  silver  smith  and  jewelry  stores;  450  licensed  drays  and  carts, 
sixteen   two-wheeled  and  thirteen  four-wheeled  carriages  for  hire.| 

There  were  a  number  of  extensive  cotton  pressing  and  tobacco 
warehouses,  among  which  were  the  large  fire-proof  warehouses  of 
Mr.  B.  Rilleaux,  corner  of  Tchoupitoulas  and  Poydras  streets,  worthy  of 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  33 

particular  notice.  They  were  commenced  in  1806;  they  were  on 
Tchoupitoulas,  Poydras  and  Magazine  streets,  with  passages  leading 
to  each,  and  contained  11,500  bales  of  cotton;  there  were  three  cotton 
presses — one  by  steam,  one  hydraulic  and  one  by  horse-power.  With 
this  range  of  buildings  were  eight  wells,  a  fire  engine,  hose  and  fire 
buckets  for  extinguishing  fire,  if  it  should  occur,  and  twenty-five 
men  who  slept  in  the  yard.  This  building,  with  the  lots,  presses,  etc., 
cost  about  $150,000;  the  passages  and  alleys  through  this  building 
were  paved  with  pebble  stones  in  1806,  so  that  this  gentleman  has 
the  credit  of  being  the  first  to  introduce  that  necessary  and  important 
improvement  in  highways. 

Mr.  Benjamin  Morgan  followed  Mr.  Rilleaux  in  the  important  ex- 
periments of  improving  the  highways  by  paving  Gravier  street  with 
pebble  stone,  between  Tchoupitoulas  and  Magazine  streets,  which  was 
so  well  executed  as  to  stand  the  test  of  some  years,  and  convinced 
every  thinking  person  of  its  utility. 


THE    NAMES    OF    OUR    STREETS. 


The  old  carre  or  parallelogram  of  the  original  city  still  preserves 
the  names  given  by  Le  Blond  de  la  Tour,  who  laid  it  out.  There  have 
been  few  changes  here.  The  rue  de  I'Arsenal,  Arsenal  street,  has 
given  way  to  the  rue  des  Ursulines,  named  in  honor  of  the  Ursuline 
nuns,  who  erected  their  convent  here  a  century  and  a  half  ago.  The 
rue  des  Quarters,  Barracks  street,  and  the  rue  de  I'Hospital,  Hospital 
street,  are  titles  given  to  unnamed  streets,  because  the  Government 
barracks  and  hospital  were  erected  on  them.  .  Similarly  the  rue  de 
la  Douane,  or  Customhouse  street  (now  Iberville  street),  received  its 
title,  not  from  the  massive  granite  customs  house  that  now  stands 
there,  but  from  the  old  wooden  building,  devoted  to  the  same  pur- 
poses, erected  by  the  Spaniards  a  century  and  a  quarter  before. 
The  boundary  streets  of  the  city,  which  marked  the  line  of  the  old 
■wall,  all  bear  military  titles  referring  to  the  old  fortifications.  Espla- 
nade street  was  where  the  troops  drilled;  Rampart,  rue  des  Ramparts, 
marks,  like  the  boulevards  of  Paris,  the  destroyed  walls;   while  Canal 


cA 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


street  was  the  old  fossee  or  canal  which  surrounded  the  city  and 
which  was  continued  as  a  drainage  canal  to  the  lake,  and  filled  up 
years  ago. 

Of  the  old  streets  only  two  have  disappeared — rue  de  I'Arsenal 
into  Ursulines,  and  rue  de  Conde  into  Chartres. 

There  have  been  some  few  corruptions  in  the  old  names.  The  rue 
de  Dephine,  named  after  the  province  of  Danpriny,  in  France,  has 
-dropped  the  accent  on  the  e,  and  became  simply  Dauphine  (pronounced 


Audubon    Place,    in   'The   Garden    District.' 


Daupheen)  street,  as  if  it  were  nam^ed  after  the  Dauphin's  wife.  The 
street  named  in  honor  of  Due  du  Maine,  has  got  the  preposition 
forever  mixed  with  the  noun,  and  is,  and  will  be  ever,  Dumaine,  in 
stead   of   Maine   street. 

In  naming  the  streets  of  the  city  as  it  grew  beyond  its  original 
boundaries,  a  dozen  different  systems  were  pursued.  The  gallantry 
of   the   French    Creoles   is    commemorated    upon    old    city   maps    by    a 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  35 

number  of  streets  christened  with  the  sweetest  and  prettiest  feminine 
names  imaginable.  Some  of  these  were  christened  after  the  favorite 
children  of  rich  parents,  but  again  not  a  few  were  named  after  favorite 
concubines.  The  old  maps  of  New  Orleans  were  covered  with  such 
names  as  Suzette,  Celeste,  Estelle,  Angelie,  Annette,  and  others; 
many  of  these  have  died  away  into  later  titles,  but  not  a  few  still 
survive. 

The  religious  tendency  of  the  population  showed  itself  in  giving 
religious  names  to  many  of  the  streets.  There  are  several  hundred 
saints  so  honored,  and  scarcely  one  in  the  calendar  has  escaped  a 
namesake  in  the  Crescent  City.  There  are  besides  these,  such  streets 
as  Conception,  Religious,  Nuns,  Assumption,  Ascension,  etc. 

At  the  time  of  the  French  revolution  there  was  an  outbreak  In 
France  of  Roman  and  Greek  fashions.  The  modern  French  tried  to 
imitate  the  ancient  classics  by  assuming  the  Roman  dress  and  Roman 
names.  The  Creoles  who,  although  dominated  by  the  Spaniards,  were 
red  Republicans  in  these  days,  followed  that  fashion  and  all  the  names- 
of  antiquity  were  introduced  into  Louisiana  and  survive  there  to  this 
day.  Achille  (Achilles),  Alcibiade  (Alcibiades),  Numa  Demosthene 
(Demosthenes),  came  into  fashion.  The  streets  found  a  similar  fate 
and  the  new  faubourg  Ste.  Marie  was  liberally  christened  from  pagan 
mythology.  The  nine  muses,  three  graces,  the  twelve  greater  gods 
and  the  twelve  greater  gods  and  the  twelve  lesser  ones,  and  the  demi- 
gods, all  stood  god-parents  for  streets.  The  city  fathers  went  beyond 
this,  and  there  was  a  Xayades  and  a  Dryades  street,  a  Water  Work, 
a  Euphrosine  street,  and  so  on  without  end. 

Then  came  the  Napoleonic  wars,  and  with  them,  intense  enthusiasm 
over  the  victories  of  the  Corsican.  A  General  of  Napoleon's  army  who 
settled  in  Louisiana  after  the  St.  Helena  captivity  named  the  whole 
upper  portion  of  the  city  in  honor  of  the  little  Emporer.  Napoleon 
Avenue,  Jena  and  Austerlitz  streets  are  samples  which  survive  to 
this  day. 

In  addition  to  those  came  the  names  and  titles  of  the  early  Louisi- 
ana planters,  such  as  Montegut,  Clouet,  Marigny,  Delord,  the  early 
Governors  of  Louisiana,  Mayors  of  New  Orleans,  and  distinguished 
citizens. 


^6  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

These,  however,  failed  to  supply  the  miles  of  streets  that  New 
Orleans  boasts  of,  with  a  sufTiciency  of  names. 

In  the  naming  of  streets  the  French  are  not  quite  so  matter  of 
fact  as  the  Anglo-Saxons,  and  they  have  shown  this  in  some  titles  they 
have  left  behind.  In  New  Orleans  no  Anglo-Saxon,  for  instance,  would 
ever  think  of  naming  a  street  Goodchildren  street,  rue  des  Bons  En- 
fants,  or  Love  street,  rue  de  'lAmour,  Madam's  street.  Mystery  street. 
Piety  street,  etc.  Old  Bernard  Marigny  christened  two  thoroughfares 
in  the  faubourg  Marigny  w^hich  he  laid  out,  "Craps"  and  "Bagatelle" 
in  honor  of  the  two  games  of  chance  at  which  he  lost  a  fortune.  A 
curious  mistake  was  that  of  the  first  American  directory-maker  who 
insisted  upon  translating  Bagatelle  into  English  and  described  it  as 
Trifle  street. 

But  even  w^hen  a  person  is  acquainted  with  the  names  of  the  New 
Orleans  streets,  the  next  thing  is  to  know  how  to  pronounce  and  spell 
them.  This  is  very  important,  for  they  are  seldom  pronounced  as 
they  would  seem  to  be.  Tchoupitoulas — pronounced  Chopitoulas — and 
Carondelet  are  the  shibboleth  by  which  foreigners  are  detected.  No 
man  is  ever  recognized  as  a  true  Orleanais  until  he  can  spell  and  pro- 
nounce these  names  correctly;  and  the  serious  charge  made  against 
an  Auditor  of  the  State,  that  he  spelled  Carondelet,  Kerionderlet, 
aroused  the  utmost  indignation  of  the  population,  who  could  never  for- 
give this  mistake. 

The  classical  scholar  who  visits  New  Orleans  and  hears  the  names 
of  the  muses  so  frightfully  distorted  may  regard  it  as  unfortunate  that 
G'reek  mythology  had  been  chosen.  The  explanation  of  the  mispro- 
nunciation, however,  will  relieve  the  people  of  New  Orleans  of  any 
charge  of  ignorance.  The  Greek  names  are  simply  pronounced  in  the 
French  style.  Thus  the  street  that  the  scholar  would  call  Melpomene, 
of  four  syllables  and  with  the  last  "e"  sounded,  would  be  in  French 
Melpomene,  and  is  translated  by  the  people  of  New  Orleans  into  Mel- 
po-meen.  So  Calliope  is  Callioap;  Terpsichore,  Terpsikor;  Euterpe, 
Euterp;  and  others  in  the  same  way.  Coliseum  is  accented  like  the 
French  Colisee,  on  the  second  instead  of  the  third  syllable;  and  even 
Felicity  street — it  is  named,  by  the  by,  after  a  woman  (Felicite),  not 
happiness — is  actually  called  by  many  intelligent  persons  Filly-city. 
The  influence  of  the  old  French  days  is  seen  in  the  spelling  of  Dryades, 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  37 

instead  of  Drj'ads,  as  the  word  is  pronounced,  and  in  a  number  of 
other  apparent  violations  of  orthoepy  or  orthography,  the  truth  being 
that  the  old  French  pronunciation  and  spelling  are  preserved  and  have 
become  current  among  the  English-speaking  portion  of  the  population. 
The  constant  annexation  to  New  Orleans  of  suburban  villages  and 
towns,  with  streets  of  the  same  name  produces  considerable  incon- 
venience to  strangers  and  even  to  natives  of  the  city.  There  is  a 
duplicate  to  nearly  every  name,  and  sometimes  four  or  five  streets 
bearing  the  same  title. 

THE    ELECTRIC   CAR   SYSTEM. 

"All  roads  lead  to  Rome"  is  a  common  expression,  which  para- 
phrased and  applied  to  the  splendid  Electric  Car  System  of  New  Orleans 
gives  the  facts,  as  they  are — "For  all  street  cars  lead  to  Canal  street." 
The  sole  exception  is  the  Napoleon  Avenue  line,  which  is  tributary 
to  the  St.  Charles  and  Tulane  Belt. 

A  sight-seeing  ride  over  the  Electric  Car  System  is  either  by  the 
St.  Charles-Tulane  Belt — traveling  the  Upper  Districts — or  the  Es- 
planade-Canal Belt,  which  courses  "down  town."  Along  these  routes 
are  the  palatial  residences  of  New  Orleans'  prominent  people.  A  per- 
fect system  of  transfers,  from  line  to  line,  is  also  an  appreciated 
advantage  for  tourists. 

SIGHTS    ABOUT  TOWN. 

Most  visitors  to  New  Orleans  imagine  that  they  have  "done"  the 
city  when  they  have  seen  the  carnival,  been  to  the  lake,  had  the  pro- 
verbial fish  dinner,  been  to  the  Metairie  cemetery,  to  Carrollton,  to 
the  Audubon  Park,  and  to  the  French  market.  This  is  a  great  error. 
There  is  no  city,  presenting  more  interesting  sights,  but  these  are 
seldom  visited,  particularly  in  the  French  quarter  of  the  town.  There, 
odd  little  balconies  and  galleries  jut  out  from  the  tall,  dingy,  wrinkled 
houses,  peering  into  each  other's  faces  as  if  in  eternal  confab.  There, 
queer  little  shops  are  to  be  found,  apothecaries'  and  musty  stores 
where  old  furniture,  brasses,  bronzes  and  books  are  sold,  bird  stores 
innumerable,  where  alligators  are  to  be  purchased  as  well — all  these 
lying  in  a  sort  of  half  doze. 


38 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


A  tour  through  any  of  these  streets  will  bring  before  one  sights 
to  be  found  nowhere  else  in  the  world. 

Chartres  street  is  very  picturesque,  not  merely  to  walk  along, 
keeping  your  gaze  at  a  level;  but  to  halt  and  look  up  the  street  and 
down,  at  the  oddly-furnished  galleries  that  look  as  if  the  rooms  had 
come  out  to  see  what  the  neighbors  were  after.     And  one  must  halt 


I 


Archbishop's    Residence,    Esplanade    Avenue. 

and  peer  into  doorways,  even  slyly  penetrating  a  yard  or  so  into  some 
of  the  long,  dark  tunnel  entrances  in  search  of  the  paved  court-yards, 
with  arched  piazzas  or  porticoes,  such  as  one  may  see  in  Venice  under 
the  shadows  of  St.  Mark's. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  grim  houses  are  very  kind;  they  will  see  the 
stranger   peering  out  of  your  eyes,  the  curious   admiration,  and  will 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  39 

smile  graciously,  and  with  a  prettily  mingled  air  of  gracioiisness  and 
reserve  motion  you  to  look  your  fill.  In  most  of  these  court-yards  you 
will  find  plants  in  huge  pots,  pomegranate  trees,  flowering  shrubs; 
sometimes  you  will  see  a  battered  bronze  statue,  or  a  marble  figure, 
gone  as  gray  as  any  old  Creole  darkey  that  smiles  a  "bon  jour"  to 
you  from  the  banquette.  And  you  will  see  great  yellow  and  earthen 
water-jars,  the  ones  in  which  the  "Forty  Thieves"  were  hid  on  a 
memorable  occasion,  but  which  have  been  transported  into  Frenchtown 
and  numerously  duplicated. 

There  is  nothing  really  of  note  to  detain  one  in  Chartres  street 
until  the  old  Cathedral  is  reached.  It  stands  between  two  of  the  most 
picturesque  buildings  in  New  Orleans — the  old  court-houses,  built  a 
little  before  the  birth  of  the  present  century  by  Don  Andreas  Almon- 
aster,  a  Spanish  noble,  the  old  histories  of  the  town  say,  and  who  was 
also  perpetual  regidor.  Those  buildings  with  their  dormer  windows 
and  stuccoed  balustrades  "peeling  off  for  their  final  plunge  into  ob- 
livion" have  looked  down  on  many  an  execution  in  the  Place  d'Armes, 
which  has  been  called  "Jackson  Square"  ever  since  the  General's 
statue  was  erected  under  the  orange  and  banana  trees  of  the  sweet 
old  garden. 

In  the  "Cathedral  of  St.  Louis"  a  number  of  persons  lie  buried. 
Pere  Antoine,  whom  the  same  old  history  of  the  town  calls  a  good 
and  benevolent  and  saintly  man,  died  in  1829;  and  during  the  forty 
or  fifty  years  he  lived  in  New  Orleans  he  must  have  baptized,  married 
and  buried  two-thirds  of  the  persons  who  were  born,  married  and  who 
died  in  that  time.  A  marble  angel  broods  over  the  top  of  this  altar. 
The  huge  yellow  cross  her  arms  embrace  is  said  to  be  all  of  true,  pure 
gold.  A  narrow  paved  alleyway  runs  down  by  the  high  Cathedral 
walls  from  Chartres  street  through  to  Royal. 

Tall,  many-storied  houses  look  down  on  the  alley,  which  is  named 
after  blessed  St.  Antoine,  and  the  sweet,  green  garden  that  blossoms 
and  grows  behind  the  church.  The  balconies  are  hidden  behind  lattice 
work,  and  behind  the  lattices  the  priests  who  belong  to  the  Cathedral 
live  their  simple,  frugal  lives.  Their  homes  are  plain,  their  fare  is 
scanty,  their  lives  austere.  It  Is  pretty  and  pathetic  to  note  how 
these  men  cultivate  and  care  for  the  pots  and  boxes  of  flowers  that 
grow  on  their  galleries.  •  i 


40  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

One  can  step  from  the  Palace  right  into  "St.  Mary's  Chapel,"  where 
the  Archbishop  often  holds  service.  Up  over  the  altar  of  this  chapel, 
one  of  the  oldest  in  the  town,  is  a  doorway  hung  with  dark  curtains, 
and  many  times  the  worshippers  in  the  church  have  seen  the  wan, 
sweet  face  of  the  old  Archbishop,  looking  down  on  them  from  between 
the  parted  curtains,  as  with  lifted  hand  he  sent  his  benedictions  on 
their  bent  heads. 

Now,  if  you  will  go  around  Hospital  to  Royal  street,  you  will  find 
on  the  corner  an  immense  house,  which  is  a  fine  sample  of  the  former 
elegance  of  the  houses  of  the  wealthy  people  of  New  Orleans.  It  is 
rich  with  carvings;  richer  in  associations.  It  has  been  lived  in  by 
great  men.  There  is  one  room  in  which  Louis  Phillippe  has  slept, 
Lafayette  and  Marechal  Ney.  From  the  observatory  one  gets  the 
finest  view  of  the  lower  part  of  the  city,  for  it  is  the  highest  point  in 
Frenchtown,  excepting  of  course,  the  Cathedral  towers. 

Turning  down  Royal  street  toward  Canal,  one  finds  much  that  is 
charming.  One  should  look  up  and  note  how  fond  the  old  architects 
were  of  exterior  decoration,  for  the  white  cornices  up  under  the  eaves 
are  generally  richly  carved.  Many  of  these  houses  have  entre  sols — 
that  is  a  sort  of  half-story  between  the  first  and  second  floor;  and 
tiny  windows  with  carved  stone  or  wooden  balustrades,  are  sunk 
into  the  walls  across  the  window  space. 

In  fact,  there  is  nothing  in  Frenchtown  more  noteworthy  than 
the  windows  of  the  houses.  They  are  round,  peaked,  mere  little  rod- 
barred  holes  in  the  wall,  gashes;  they  are  filled  with  panes  of  stained 
glass,  with  dozens  of  tiny  panes,  with  doors  half  of  wood  the  rest 
of  glass,  with  lattice  work,  or  broad,  flat  jalousies,  once  painted  green; 
they  are  any  and  all  of  these,  and  are  any  and  everything  except  the 
modern  conventional  windows  of  the  architecture  of  1884. 

Rooms  are  to  be  rented  in  many  of  these  houses,  as  the  dangling 
sign,  "Chambres  a  louer,"  let  down  by  a  bit  of  string  from  one  of  the 
upper  galleries,  will  inform  you. 

There  is  one  fine  house  on  Royal  street,  not  very  far  from  Hos- 
pital. 

In  Toulouse  street,  near  Royal,  is  the  crumbled  ruin  of  the  old 
Citizens'  Bank.  The  only  deposit  this  bank  has  now  is  weeds,  dirt, 
and  vermin.     It  smells  of  bats;   it  is  rank  with  weeds.     In  the  blaze 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  41 

of  summer  its  ruined  marble  walls  and  broken  roofs  are  illuminated 
by  the  great  yellow,  flaring  bloom  of  the  golden  rod.  The  skeleton 
stalks  of  the  last  year's  dip  in  the  wind  now.  Toads,  rats,  and  weeds 
dispute  for  the  front  steps.  Even  tramps  avoid  seeking  shelter  in  its 
gloomy  ruins.  Two  or  three  odd  little  second-hand  shops  will  be  found 
in  Toulouse  street,  near  the  bank. 

Another  place  worthy  of  note  is  the  Academy  of  the  Bon  Secours 
in  Orleans  street,  between  Royal  and  Bourbon.  The  little  green  gar- 
den of  the  Cathedral  looks  right  out  on  this  convent  school.  The 
front  of  the  building  jamb  on  the  street  is  of  pinkish  color,  and  with 
its  portico  roof  thrown  over  the  sidewalk  looks  more  like  some  grand 
hotel  entrance  or  theatre  front  getting  superannuated.  On  the  corner 
of  Bourbon  and  Orleans  used  to  stand  the  gay  old  Orleans  Theatre, 
and  this  convent  was  the  dance  house  of  the  theatre,  the  ball  and 
supper  room,  and  in  this  building  used  to  be  given  those  famous 
"quadroon"  balls. 

The  visitor  will  be  startled  when  he  rings  at  the  convent  bell, 
and  the  door  opens  in  on  that  fine  marble  floor  that  has  been  in  its 
time  pressed  by  the  satin-clad  feet  of  so  many  sadlj",  fatally  beau- 
tiful women,  to  find  himself  in  the  presence  of  a  colored  sister  of 
charity.  The  famous  dance  hall  for  quadroon  women  has  become  a 
convent  for  colored  sisters  of  charity. 

The  old  Spanish  barracks  were  located  down  on  Royal  street; 
there  are  but  few  traces  of  them  left  in  the  stone  arches  of  the  build- 
ing now  used  for  manufacturing  purposes.  One  cannot  but  notice  the 
dilapidated  condition  of  those  old  houses  that  under  the  French  and 
Spanish  domination  were  somewhat  famous.  Tile  roofs  have  begun 
to  disappear,  the  cozy  little  cottage  tenements  of  those  who  were  here 
before  Canal  street  existed  are  fast  changing  into  the  newer  style  of 
corniced  residences;  and,  in  fact,  on  all  sides,  one,  who  is  at  all  ob- 
servant, can  see  how  that  fickle  old  fellow.  Time,  is  pushing  back  the 
past  to  make  way  for  the  present. 

It  is  true  there  are  neighborhoods  where  his  hand  seems  to  have 
been  stayed  in  a  measure.  Some  of  those  old  Creole  houses  whose 
roofs  have  sparkled  and  glittered  in  the  spring  showers  of  one  hun- 
dred years  still  remain,  but  they  are  fast  fading  away.  Curious  old 
houses  these.    The  verv  embodiment  of  the  plain,  simple,  old-time  ideas 


42 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


of  what  a  Southern  residence  should  be,  where  ample  ventilation  in 
summer  and  warmth  in  winter  were  the  main  objects  of  those  earnest 
architects. 


On  the  corner  of  Conti  and  Rampart  streets  stands  a  brown  churcli, 
which  was,  as  a  turbanned  colored  Frenchwoman  will  tell  you,  "billup 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  43 

in  dat  good  Pere  Antoine  day."  This  was  the  old  Mortuary  Chapel.  It 
vras  finished  in  1827,  and  is  dedicated  to  St.  Anthony  of  Padua.  All 
funeral  ceremonies  of  Catholics  were  compelled  to  be  performed 
there.  The  Mortuary  Chapel  is  now  the  Italian  Church  of  the  city, 
in  charge  of  a  quiet  and  gentle  priest,  who  lives  in  a  beautiful  one- 
storied  cottage  with  a  tiled  roof,  and  stone  floors,  behind  the  church, 
and  where  his  sweet  and  simple  household  is  in  charge  of  his  two 
sisters,  quiet,  thin-faced  ladies  speaking  no  language  but  their  own 
smooth,  flowing  Italian. 

The  furniture  in  the  priest's  house  is  composed  mainly  of  old 
carved  church  benches,  altar  stalls,  settees  and  chairs  that  have 
served  their  time  in  the  church.  This  cottage  home,  like  so  many 
of  the  houses  in  this  side  of  the  city,  has  a  roof  that  reaches  far  over 
the  sidewalk  bej'ond  the  house  walls.  A  queer  little  green  railing  juts 
out  from  one  end  of  the  house-top,  and  one  can  fancy  that  sometimes 
the  thin,  brown,  little  priest  and  his  quiet,  thin,  brown  sisters  go 
up  there  in  the  moonlight  and  talk  half  to  each  other,  half  to  the 
white  and  silent  stars  of  Bella  Italia.  There  is  a  famous  shrine  in  the 
Italian  church — the  shrine  of  St.  Bartholomew — and  about  it  are  placed 
innumerable  thank-offerings  from  those  whose  prayers  have  been 
answered. 

Some  of  these  offerings  are  curious,  some  beautiful;  among  the 
former  are  waxen  hands,  arms,  legs,  feet,  fingers,  and  under  a  glass 
globe  is  a  head  of  a  young  boy,  modeled  in  wax  and  faithfully  colored. 
It  was  presented  by  the  grateful  mother  of  a  sick  lad,  who  long  suffer- 
ing with  some  illness  in  the  head,  was  cured  by  the  power  of  her 
prayers  to  St.  Bartholom_ew.  A  statue  of  St.  Bartholomew  with  his 
head  in  hand  and  skin  over  his  arm — he  was  both  flayed  and  beheaded 
— stands  at  one  of  the  side-altars. 

Visitors  also  see  further  up  Rampart  street  the  beautiful  green 
Beauregard  square,  where  long  time  ago  Bras  Coupe  and  other  negroes 
danced  and  sung,  and  where  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  used  to  go  in 
early  evening  time  to  watch  and  listen  to  their  strange,  wild,  weird 
amusement. 

The  "marble  room"  in  the  Custom-House,  the  long  or  central  room, 
with  walls,  ceiling,  pillars,  floor,  all  of  marble,  is  one  of  the  largest  and 


44  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

handsomest  rooms  in  a  public  building  in  the  country,  and  is  well 
worthy  of  a  visit. 

The  old  St.  Louis  Hotel,  on  St.  Louis,  Chartres  and  Royal  streets 
should  also  be  visited.  The  dome  of  this  building  is  very  fine  and 
richly  frescoed.  It  is  adorned  with  allegorical  pictures  and  busts  of 
famous  men,  the  work  of  Canova  and  Pinoli.  This  building  was  orig- 
inally the  Bourse  of  the  city,  and  a  fine  hotel  was  combined  with  it. 
It  afterwards  became  the  State-House;  was  dismantled  and  restored 
as  the  Hotel  Royal,  and  then  abandoned.  To-day  it  is  a  mere  shadow 
of  its  former  grandeur,  and  practicably  uninhabitable. 

Opposite  is  the  new  and  modern  Court  building,  dedicated  to  the 
uses  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Louisiana,  the  Civil  Courts,  etc. 

Above  Canal  street,  visitors  should  see  the  garden  district,  the 
houses  being  chiefly  distinguished  for  the  exquisite  gardens  in  which 
they  are  placed. 

North  of  Canal  street  the  handsomest  residence  street  is  Esplanade, 
upon  which  are  situated  some  of  the  loveliest  houses  in  the  city. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  town,  or  above  Canal  street,  as  it  is  locally 
known,  the  handsomest  houses  lie  on  St.  Charles  avenue. 

The  town  headquarters  of  General  Jackson  were  on  Royal  street. 
The  old  battle-ground  of  1815,  in  St.  Bernard  parish,  is  where  the 
national  cemetery — Chalmette — is  now  situated.  It  is  two  miles  below 
the  United  States  Barracks,  and  a  lovely  walk  or  drive  in  good  weather. 

The  old  Jackson  monument  is  on  the  battle-field.  The  road  down  is 
lined  with  old  plantation  houses. 

As  for  the  other  interesting  sights  to  be  visited  in  New  Orleans, 
either  from  the  size  and  architecture,  or  on  account  of  historical  or 
other  interest,  there  are  innumerable,  but  the  following  are  some  of 
the  most  striking  of  them: 

The  Custom-House — Situated  on  Canal  street,  between  Decatur  and 
N.  Peters  streets,  from  the  top  of  which  a  full  view  of  the  city  can  be 
had. 

The  United  States  Mint  and  Sub-Treasury— Located  on  Esplanade, 
corner  of  North  Peters  street. 

City  Hall— Corner  of  St.  Charles  and  Lafayette  streets,  contains 
the  different  municipal  business  rooms,  treasurer's  office,  lyceum, 
Council    chamber    and   library,    etc.     It   is    a   large,    commodious    and 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  45 

handsome  structure  of  brick,  marble  and  stone.  The  front  is  of  the 
Grecian  Doric  order,  and  remarkable  for  the  graceful  beauty  of  Its 
stately  columns. 

Half-Way  House — Situated  just  over  the  bridge  at  the  intersection 
of  Canal  street  and  the  New  Canal,  and  accessible  by  the  Canal  street 
cars.  In  the  near  neighborhood  are  the  Metairie,  Greenwood,  and  other 
beautiful  cemeteries. 

New  Orleans  Cotton  Exchange — Situated  on  Carondelet  street,  cor. 
of  Gravier,  was  inaugurated  in  February,  1871,  with  a  roll  of  100  mem- 
bers, which,  after  dwindling  down  to  about  eighty,  increased,  under  a 
system  of  daily  news  concerning  the  staple,  to  upwards  of  600.  Its 
building  is  considered  one  of  the  handsomest  edifices  in  the  country. 
West  End,  or  Nev/  Lake  End — One  of  the  most  frequented  resorts 
on  the  shares  of  Lake  Ponchatrain.  It  may  be  reached  by  the  New 
Shell  Road,  a  favorite  drive,  or  by  electric  cars. 

Milneburg — Or,  as  it  is  more  popularly  known,  the  "Old  Lake  End," 
is  the  terminus  of  the  Ponchatrain  Railroad.  It  is  directly  on  the 
banks  of  the  Old  Lake,  and  the  cool  air  always  prevailing,  the  sails, 
fishing  and  bathing  to  be  enjoyed,  make  it  a  favorite  resort  with  all 
who  wish  to  enjoy  the  day  away  from  the  brick  and  mortar  of  the  city. 

United  States  Barracks — A  trip  to  the  barracks  is  one  of  the  pleas- 
antest  excursions  in  the  neighborhood  of  New  Orleans.  The  distance 
from  Canal  street  is  about  three  and  three-quarter  miles,  and  the 
whole  distance  may  be  accomplished  by  the  street  cars  at  the  expense 
of  five  cents  each  way.  The  buildings  used  by  the  French  government 
and  afterwards  by  the  Federal  authorities,  as  a  barracks,  were  located 
on  Chartres  street. 

Cemeteries — Firemen's,  one  of  the  Metarie  ridge  cemeteries,  at 
the  end  of  Canal  street,  contains  a  monument  of  Irad  Ferry,  the  first 
fireman  of  this  city  who  was  killed  while  discharging  his  duty  at  a 
fire;  the  society  tombs  of  many  of  the  fire  companies,  and  other  beau- 
tiful crypts. 

Greenwood,  at  the  end  of  Canal  street.  Here  is  located  the  Con- 
federate monument  erected  by  the  ladies  of  New  Orleans. 

Metarie  Ridge,  at  the  head  of  Canal  street,  across  the  canal.  This 
burial-ground  has  been  laid  out  but  a  few  years,  yet  contains  many 
fine  tombs  and  splendid  walks  and  drives.     The  monument  of  Stone- 


46 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


wall  Jackson,  and  the  one  of  the  famous  "Batallion  Washington  Artil- 
lery," are  greatly  admired. 

Old  St.  Louis,  on  Basin,  between  Conti  and  St.  Louis  streets.  It 
contains  many  beautiful  tombs,  and  is  the  oldest  cemetery  in  the  city. 

St.  Louis,  Xos.  1,  2  and  3,  on  Claiborne,  between  Customhouse  and 
St.  Louis  streets,  contain  some  magnificent  mausoleums.     No.  2  holds 


St.  Roch's  Mausoleum. 


the  monument  of  John  Milne,  "The  Friend  of  the  Orphan."     No.  1  is 
for  colored  persons. 

The  Protestant,  Girod  street,  at  the  foot  of  Girod  street,  on  Liberty. 
It  is  the  oldest  Protestant  burial  ground  in  the  city,  and  has  many 
fine  tombs. 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS         47 

Chalmette,  the  national  cemetery,  is  in  charge  of  the  quartermas- 
ter's department,  United  States  Army.  This  beautiful  resting-place  of 
the  dead  is  situated  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Mississippi  River,  a  little 
over  one  mile  below  the  Jackson  Barracks.  The  ground  was  donated 
by  the  city  in  1865,  and  was  laid  out  by  Capt.  Chas.  Banard.  There 
are  12,192  graves;  6,913  of  these  are  classed  as  "Known,"  and  5,279 
are  marked  "Unknown." 

Washington,  corner  of  Prytania  street  and  Washington  avenue, 
contains  many  beautiful  souvenirs  of  the  Confederate  dead,  and  the 
monument  erected  by  the  people  of  Louisiana,  in  memory  of  Governor 
Henry  W.  Allen. 

DISTANCES    IN    THE    CITY. 

With  Canal,  corner  Royal  street  as  the  starting  point,  it  is  one 
mile,  via  St.  Charles  avenue,  to  Thalia  street,  two  miles  to  Sixth  street, 
three  miles  to  Napoleon  avenue,  four  miles  to  State  street,  four  and 
one-half  miles  to  Audubon  Park,  and  five  one-fourth  to  Carrollton.  Out 
Canal,  it  is  one  mile  to  Galvez,  two  miles  to  Genois,  and  three  miles 
to  the  first  of  the  cemeteries.  The  Metairie  cemetery  from  the  river 
is  four  miles.  To  the  Barracks,  is  four  and  three-quarter  miles.  From 
Carrollton  to  the  Barracks,  by  the  cars,  is  ten  miles;  by  the  river, 
twelve  miles;  while  by  an  air  line  it  is  only  seven  and  three-quarter 
miles. 

CREOLE   NEW   ORLEANS. 

Down  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  old  Cathedral,  where  Chartres 
street,  buzzing  and  lazily  bustling,  widens  out  into  the  broad,  green 
smile  of  a  public  square,  there  are  queer  little  alleyvv^ays  piercing  from 
one  street  to  another,  running  by  the  cool  Cathedral  doors.  The 
mother  church  bends  defiant  front  to  the  glare  of  the  river,  to  the  in- 
novation of  shrill  steam-car  whistles,  that  would  cry  down  the  deep 
bay  and  growl  of  her  bells,  but  cannot;  and  away  from  the  church  into 
the  narrow  alley  falls  grateful  shadow,  in  which  a  beggar  or  two 
makes  monotonous  moans  for  unexpected  alms.  A  hot  rush  of  wind 
from  the  river,  sweetened  by  filtration  through  the  rose  patches  of  the 
big  square,  comes  down  into  the  shadowy  alley,  rattling  the  green 
Venetian  blinds  at  the  white  windows,  and  whipping  at  the  long  cur- 


48  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

tains  of  knotted  cord  hung  over  certain  of  the  open  doorways,  just  as 
one  may  see  them  in  Florence  and  Rome  in  the  summer  time.  The 
signs  hereabout  are  all  French,  and  that  of  "avocat"  seems  predomi- 
nant. Groups  of  men  chattering  over  their  cigarettes  interfere  with 
pedestrianism  in  the  alley,  and  stare  with  Gallic  curiosity  and  gallant- 
ry after  every  petticoated  individual  that  passes.  A  priest,  in  cassock 
and  he  plump  and  good-tempered,  with  face  shining  like  a  newly-peeled 
onion — leans  laughing  against  the  black  balustrade  in  one  of  these  old 
French  houses. 

Try  speaking  English  to  any  of  the  dvrellers  in  this  neighborhood 
and  one  is  answered  in  their  own  carressing  accents  and  delicious 
dialect. 

There  can  be  no  place  in  America  quite  like  old  New  Orleans.  One 
who  has  seen  them,  can  never  quite  forget  the  gray  stone-arched  en- 
trances to  the  old  courtyards,  and  the  houses  wrinkled  with  age  and 
with  dusty  dormer  windows  blinking  down  like  faded,  aged  eyes  over 
which  a  growth  of  golded  rod  leans  like  a  monstrous  bushy  eyebrow. 
A  wild  tangle  of  vines  grows  in  most  of  these  dark  courtyards,  some 
of  which  are  given  over  to  complete  decay;  others,  however,  being 
trimly  neat  and  pretty  as  the  homes  of  prosperous  French  people  in- 
variably are. 

Many  of  the  shops  contain  odd  wares.  In  a  house  whose  round 
upper  windows,  covered  interiorly  with  white  blinds,  look  precisely 
like  sleeping  eyes,  is  a  music  shop.  Songs  in  the  windows  are  French 
the  master  stands  within,  humming  a  gay  little  chansonette,  and  a 
curious  gray  old  print,  representing  a  concert  in  a  monastery,  gathers 
a  laughing  crowd  at  the  show  window. 

Next  door  in  the  jeweler's  shop,  among  the  odds  and  ends,  is  an 
exquisite  Venetian  gondola,  done  in  filagree  silver,  with  gondoliers  and 
all  complete. 

The  down-town  people  of  the  poorer  localities  are  great  lovers  of 
potted  flowers  and  singing  birds.  Some  streets  are  fine  with  color, 
owing  to  the  brilliant  red  masses  of  geraniums  that  blossom  boldly 
in  defiance  of  the  hottest  sun;  and  many  a  tiny  bit  of  iron  gallery  jut- 
ting in  curious  fashion  out  of  some  tall  window  is  transformed  into 
the  coolest  of  arbors  by  looped-up  cypress  vines,  which  lay  their  long 
fingers  on  everything  they  can  reach. 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  49 

Here  seed  dealers  do  a  brisk  business  in  mignonette,  morning 
glory  and  pansy  seeds,  while  the  flower  dealers  over  at  the  market 
hard  by  can,  on  Sunday  mornings,  hardly  supply  the  demand  for  pots 
of  purple  Marguerites  and  pink  China  asters. 

In  this  French  town  everything  is  so  widely  different  in  new  New 
Orleans.  Here  the  mover's  cart  is  but  seldom  seen;  in  a  strange, 
un-American  way  the  people  are  deeply  rooted,  and  many  talk  of  their 
ancestry  or  posterity.  Many  a  young  matron  lives  in  the  house  her 
great-grandmother  occupied,  and  the  passer-by  making  excursions 
down  some  of  those  long,  narrow  streets,  where  there  is  a  hazy  per- 
spective of  red-tiled  roofs  tangled  together  or  strung  one  to  the  other 
by  freighted  clotheslines,  has  now  and  again  glimpses  of  quaint  in- 
teriors. Cool,  red  sanded  floors,  quaint  spindle-legged  dressing  tables, 
cabinets  positively  antique,  rich  with  carvings,  and  black  with  age, 
mosaic  tables  pieced  together  long  before  the  grand  mosaic  of  these 
United  States  was  half  designed,  and  over  the  tall,  high  and  narrow 
mantel  shelves  with  their  heavy  cornices  and  mimic  Corinthian  col- 
umns, reared  about  an  absurdly  small  bit  of  a  fireplace,  gigantic  vases 
of  Sevres,  odd  bits  of  Bohemian  ware,  bottles  and  absinthe  glasses. 
In  these  stiff,  straight  up  and  down  brick  mansions  with  solid  green 
shutters,  damp  courtyards  and  corridors,  like  the  tunnels  of  the  cata- 
combs, the  occupants  come  and  go  in  generations. 

So  long  have  they  been  in  possession,  undisturbed  by  agents  or 
repairers,  that  the  younger  members  of  the  family  are  almost  sure 
that  the  "landlord"  living  beyond  the  sea  is  but  a  myth,  and  the 
rental  faithfully  forwarded  at  the  close  of  each  month  is  but  a  sad 
waste  of  money. 

Sometimes  in  the  wedge  of  light  streaming  in  between  the  bowed 
wooden  shutters  one  can  see  a  neat  old  French  lady — a  Madame  of  a 
style  at  least  fifty  years  out  of  date,  rocking  back  and  forth.  She  is 
brown,  slim  of  build,  and  with  a  fine  aquiline  face;  and  she  has  great 
glittering,  barbaric  hoops  of  gold  in  her  old  ears.  She  wears  a  thin, 
short  gown  of  cross-barred  nainsook  —  now-a-days  such  gowns  are 
worn  by  her  great-grandchildren  and  called  "Mother  Hubbards."  She 
is  a  quaint,  sharp,  knowing  and  talkative  old  French  Mother  Hub- 
bard, rocking  away  in  the  high-backed  wooden  chair  which  contrasts 
illy  with  the  mahogany  dressing-cases  and  oaken  sideboard. 


50 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


Sauntering  down  one  of  the  side  streets,  we  glance  into  porte 
cocheres  that  reveal  vistas  of  beautiful  quadrangular  gardens,  ivy- 
clad  walls,  bubbling,  sparkling  fountains.  Stairways  lead  to  galleries, 
upon  which  open  salons  whose  proportions  dwarf  Queen  Anne  cot- 
tage  parlors   into   doll-house   apartments.     The    lower   floors,    still   re- 


Creole   Courtyard,   French   Quarter. 


served  for  business,  once  the  scene  of  fashion's  barter,  are  now  the 
resort  for  those  in  search  of  oddities  in  goods  and  trades. 

Placards — "Chambres  garnies"  dangle  from  twines  tied  to  hang- 
ing balconies,  the  point  of  juncture  hidden  bv  vines  that  swing  over 
the  railing  to  catch  upon  other  twines  stretched  tautly  to  upper  win- 
dow-sills.    Behind  their  greenery,  geraniums  blaze  and  bloom  in  their 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  51 

improvised  beds,  as   brightly  and  blithely  as  if  rooted  upon  spacious 
lawns. 

Windows  with  contents  sacred  and  secular  advertise  the  stock 
of  interiors  near  the  old  French  Cathedral.  Slate  pencils  and  rosaries, 
candles  and  slates,  tape  and  missals,  perhaps,  one  window  devoted  to 
those  lugubrious  tributes  to  the  departed,  black  and  white  beads, 
wreaths  and  baskets  of  all  sizes  and  qualities,  interspresed  with 
boxes  of  the  tiny  nails  which  fasten  them  to  the  tombs.  Passing  by 
the  Cathedral  gardens  we  join  the  constant  stream  of  the  devout  and 
enter  the  ancient  pile. 

A  qui  yacen  los  restos 
Dn.  Andres  Almonaster  y  Roxas, 
is  inscribed  upon  the  tomb  of  the  builder,  born  in  Andalusia  to  die 
in  New  Orleans  on  April  26,  1798,  aged  seventy-three  years.  Tinted 
sunbeams  steal  in  through  the  lofty  lunettes  of  stained  glass.  Holy 
men  look  down  from  the  spandrels  upon  the  devotees  before  the 
shrine  to  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes.  Tributes  of  gratitude  for  her  mercy 
and  grace  hang  thick  upon  the  wall,  varying  from  the  tiny  print  to 
handsome  vases  and  tablets. 

LA    BELLE   CREOLE. 

Modest  and  retired,  with  but  little  attempt  at  architectural  orna- 
ment, the  Creole's  home  is  nevertheless  his  most  sacred  possession, 
about  which  cluster  his  most  endearing  memories  and  fondest  hopes. 

Handed  down  from  father  to  son,  and  always  inhabited  by  persons 
of  similar  tastes  and  education,  these  old  Creole  homes  have  under- 
gone only  such  changes  as  the  needs  of  successive  occupants  demand- 
ed, leaving  their  original  design  without  material  alteration.  The 
old  trees — venerable  centenarians — still  stand  where  they  were  plant- 
ed by  the  founders  of  the  homestead.  Here  are  still  the  same  ex- 
pansive patterns  of  quaintly-shaped  beds,  w^ith  center-piece  of  curi- 
ously clipped  pitti-sporum,  and  borders  of  sweet  violets,  where  bloom 
in  succession  the  old-fashioned  jonquils,  lilies  and  amaryllis,  and 
where  the  fragrant  myrtle  and  cape  jessamine  maintain  their  ground 
against  the  newer  favorite  of  more  modern  gardens. 


52  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

Winds,  dews  and  sunshine  indeed  seem  to  have  leagued  with 
each  generation,  as  it  came,  against  such  influence  as  would  mar  the 
beauties  of  the  old  homestead,  or  steal  from  the  revered  demesne 
any  of  its  wealth  of  flower  or  foliage,  or  in  any  way  disturb  the  peace- 
ful harmony  of  form  and  color  which  have  been  so  pleasantly  pre- 
served in  the  long  lapse  of  years. 

And  so  the  charming  old  Creole  homestead  comes  down  to  its 
occupants  of  to-day,  one  of  the  few  memorials  of  olden  times,  worth 
preserving,  that  have  been  well  preserved.  So  many  pleasant  things 
cluster  about  its  rooms  and  galleries  and  gardens  that  one  wonders 
if  there  be  any  nook  or  corner  wherein  to  stow  a  new  one.  There 
comes  a  time,  however,  during  the  warm  summer  months,  when  an 
added  charm  is  bestowed  upon  the  old  homestead,  a  charm  that  casts 
over  it  a  spell  like  that  of  enchantment. 

The  pretty  Creole  maiden  born  to  it  some  dozen  happy  years 
before,  returns  from  the  convent  where  she  had  gone  for  her  edu- 
cation, to  spend  the  summer  vacation  at  home.  Although  she  may 
not  have  crossed  the  flowery  borders  of  young  maidenhood,  one  can 
realize  the  fascination  slumbering  in  her  dark  eyes,  as  their  fringed 
lids  droop  over  them,  softening,  but  not  diminishing  their  brilliance. 
Her  petite  figure  is  formed  with  the  grace  and  lightness  of  a  fairy, 
and  her  voice  is  as  musical  as  the  song  of  a  bird.  Of  course,  the 
little  Creole  maiden  takes  kindly  to  music.  She  has  been  as  it  were 
cradled  in  song.  It  is  mother's  milk  to  her.  Her  earliest  lullabies 
were  operatic  airs.  She  comes  of  a  musical  family,  and,  would  be 
untrue  to  its  traditions  if  she  were  not  a  lover  of  the  art  musical. 
She  is  fond  of  the  flowers  of  every  hue  that  decorate  the  old  garden- 
walks,  which  in  their  delicate  loveliness  seem  akin  to  her,  and  of 
the  feathered  songsters  of  the  woodlands,  who  cease  their  song  to 
listen  to  hers. 

Although  the  Creole  maiden  is  naturally  merry  and  vivacious, 
there  is  none  of  that  wild  rompishness  about  her  for  which  others 
of  the  same  age,  but  of  different  training,  are  often  distinguished. 
Though  at  the  sound  of  her  voice  Sisypus  would  rest  upon  his  stone 
and  pause  to  listen,  there  is  none  of  that  boisterous  merriment  which 
in  other  households  defy  the  rules  of  etiquette  and  the  frowns  of 
mothers.     And  yet  at  all    the    merry-makings    of    the    neighborhood 


AXD  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS 


63 


demoiselle   seems  at  the  summit  of  girlish  felicity.     In  the  gay  par- 
ties given  her  as  ihe  is  about  to  return  to  her  studies  in  the  convent- 


Interior  View  of  St.  Stephen's  Church,  Cor.  Napoleon  Ave  &  Camp  St. 


the  feast   which   ushers   in   the   fast — she   is   the   merriest   of  all  the 
demoiselles  assembled. 

A  year  or  two  elapses — probably  more,  as  fortune  smiles  or  frowns 
upon  the  familv.     One  dav  there  comes  into  this  old  Creole  homestead, 


54 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


with  its  oasis  of  verdure,  a  young  girl,  pretty  as  its  flowers,  happy 
as  its  birds.  It  is  our  little  demoiselle  of  the  vacation.  She  has 
finished  her  education  at  the   convent,  and  enjoyed  a  brief  but  gay 


Episcopal  Church— Camp  St.,  Corner  Gainnie 


season  at  home  or  with  some  of  her  schoolmates.  Orange  blossoms 
shine  like  stars  in  the  midnight  of  her  hair,  and  a  single  rose-bud 
nestles  in  the  white  wonder  of  her  bosom.  She  returns  to  her  home 
with  the  benedictions  of  Holy  Church,  a  Creole  bride. 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS 


65 


Tpavel  where  you  will,  you  will  not  meet  with  one  so  fair,  so 
fresh,  so  smiling,  so  graceful,  merry  and  easily  contented  as  she. 
See  her  once,  whether  in  the  happy  family  circle  or  in  the  dancing 
throng,  and  it  is  a  picture  framed  in  memory  undimmed  forever. 


St.  Alphonsus  Catholic  Church  -  Constance  Street 


Of  course,  here  is  at  once  one  of  the  brightest  names  on  the  illu- 
minated page  of  society.  In  accordance  with  the  law  and  custom 
of  her  peculiar  circle,  she  selects  her  acquaintances  and  makes  up 
her  list  of  visiting  friends,   and   is  fastidious  in  her   selection.     She 


56 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


could  not  be  more  so  if  the  destinies  of  the  republic  were  at  stake. 
None  but  the  select  are  to  be  found  at  her  receptions,  and  to  be  ad- 
mitted at  her  reunions  is  a  much  coveted  honor.     All  the  surround- 


Temple  Sinai     C'arondelet  St.,  near  Howard  Avenue 


ings  of  her  home,  even  down  to  the  little  bits  of  porcelain  of  rare 
"Faience  de  Diane  de  Poitiers" — the  heirlooms  of  honored  ancestors — 
are  comme  il  faut,  elegant  and  refined.  Her  days  are  passed  in  fetes 
and  entertainments  of  everv  description. 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS         67 

Is  the  fair  Creole  bride  given  over  to  the  gaus  and  fripperies  of 
fashionable  life?  Nay.  The  brighter  parts  of  her  character,  which 
shines  with  increasing  lustre  with  each  passing  year,  have  had  their 
source  in  another  school.  Her  unbounding  generosity,  her  true  nobil- 
ity of  thought  and  feeling,  her  courage  and  her  truth,  her  pure,  un- 
sullied thought,  her  untiring  charities,  her  devotion  to  parents  and 
friends,  her  sympathy  with  sorrow,  her  kindness  to  her  inferiors,  her 
dignified  simplicity — where  could  these  have  been  learned  save  at  the 
altars  of  her  faith?  And  as  the  family  increases  does  the  Creole 
matron  give  up  her  pleasant  receptions  and  bais  dansantes?  And  has 
the  fashionable  world  only  left  to  it  a  memory  and  a  tear  for  what 
was  so  brilliant  and  recherche?  Not  so.  Not  for  her  the  recluse  life 
of  the  household  cypher  or  the  nursury  drudge — 
"Retired  as  noontide  dew. 
Or  fountain  in  the  noonday  grove." 
She  unites  the  duties  of  home  with  the  pleasures  of  social  life.  Her 
graceful  influence  is  felt  in  both,  pleasantly  reminding  one  of  the 
orange  tree  of  her  own  sunny  groves,  which  bears  in  its  beautiful 
foliage  in  the  same  month  the  golden  fruit  of  maturity  with  the  fair 
blossoms  of  its  spring. 

With  all  her  wealth  of  maternal  affection  the   Creole  matron  is 
not  imprisoned  in   her  nursery  to  be  devoured  by  her   children.     In 
them  she  has  renewed  her  youth.    With  her  maternity 
"Another  morn 
Has  risen  upon  her  mid-noon." 
Her  motherly  virtue  is   her   cardinal   virtue.     Care   for  her   children 
seems  to  have  contributed  indeed  to  the  number  and  the  sensibility 
of  the  chords  of  sympathy  and  affection. 

The  Creole  matron,  however,  does  not  squander  upon  the  infancy 
of  her  children  all  the  health  necessary  to  their  youth  and  adoles- 
cence, nor  does  she  destroy  their  sense  of  gratitude  and  her  own 
authority,  and  impair  both  their  constitution  and  temper  by  indiscrim- 
inate and  indiscreet  indulgence.  She  economizes  her  own  health  and 
beauty  as  she  adds  both  to  her  offspring. 

She  is  all  the  fonder  of  what  many  deem  frivolities,  because  of 
her  children.  For  them  the  gay  reception,  and  the  graceful  dance 
are  pleasant  and  harmless  pastime.     In  such  indulgences  her  children 


58 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


learn  that  ease  of  manner,  grace  of  movement,  and  the  thousand  little 
prettinesses  which  are  so  adorable  in  after  years.  She  has  nursed 
her  babies,  prepared  them  for  their  studies  in  the  convent  school, 
and  she  thus  finishes  an  important  branch  of  their  education  which 
the  school   books   could  not  furnish. 

And  thus  another  belle  Creole  grows  up  to  womanhood  under 
her  loving  eye.  She  is  not  permitted  to  form  intimacies  outside  of 
home. 


Cotton    Picking,    Near    New    Orleans. 


The  watchful  care  of  the  Creole  matron  may  be  somewhat  relaxed 
as  the  mind  of  demoiselle  becomes  more  perfectly  formed,  but  the  in- 
visible rein  is  still  held  with  a  firm,  though  gentle  hand. 

The  Creole  matron  is  the  inevitable  duenna  of  the  parlor,  and 
the  constant  attendant  chaperone  at  all  public  assemblies;  an  ever- 
vigilant  guide,  and  protector  against  aught  that  may  offend  the  fine 
feeling,  the  noble  pride,  or  the   generous  heart  of  demoiselle.     And 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  69 

when  the  time  comes  for  la  belle  to  marry  she  does  not  trust  her  own 
unguided  fancies,  although  she  may  have  read  in  story  books  of  gal- 
lant knights,  and  had  many  pleasant  dreams  of  such  heroes  as  live 
only  in  the  pages  of  poetry  and  romance.  The  Creole  matron  saves 
her  all  the  trouble  in  the  perplexing  choice  of  a  husband,  and  man- 
ages the  whole  affair  with  extreme  skill,  tact  and  ability.  The  pre- 
liminaries arranged,  the  selected  husband  in  future  is  invited  to  the 
house,  the  drawing-room  cleared  of  all  superfluities,  and  the  couple 
left  to  an  agreeable  tete-a-tete,  during  which  they  behave  like  sensible 
children  and  exchange  vows  and  rings.  The  nuptial  mass  at  the 
church  follows,  as  there  is  no  breaking  of  engagements  or  hearts  in 
Creole  etiquette. 

The  Creole  matron  grows  old,  as  she  does  everything  else,  grace- 
fully. She  has  not  been  shaken  by  the  blasts  of  many  passions,  or 
enervated  by  the  stimulants  of  violent  sensations.  There  is  no  paled 
reflex  of  her  youthful  warmth  in  the  glance  she  gives  to  the  past,  with 
its  buried  joys,  or  the  present,  with  its  all-pervading  contentment  and 
happiness. 

Although  an  increased  avoirdupois  has  added  magnificence  to  her 
embonpoint,  and  her  waltzing  days  are  over,  her  pretty,  well-shaped 
feet  still  beat  time  in  unison  with  the  spirit  of  its  music.  She  is  an 
artiste  of  conversation,  and  her  bon  mot  is  uttered  with  such  natural 
avoidance  of  offense,  and  the  arch  allusion  is  so  gracefully  applied 
that  she  gives  one  the  idea  of  a  new  use  of  language,  and  yet  she  is  a 
marvelous  listener.  Her  complaisance  is  ever  ready;  words  come  of 
themselves  upon  your  lips  merely  from  finding  themselves  so  oblig- 
ingly listened  to;  and  whilst  others  follow  the  conversation,  it  is  she 
wTio  directs  it,  who  seasonably  revives  it,  brings  it  back  from  the 
field  from  which  it  has  strayed,  restores  it  to  others  without  osten- 
tation, stopping  with  marvelous  tact  precisely  at  the  proper  point. 
And  the  world  may  not  know  how  much  of  the  stately  dignity,  the 
polished  ease,  the  refined  elegance  that  reign  supreme  in  her  house- 
hold is  the  inspiration  of  its  gay  mistress,  who  remains,  in  age  as  in 
youth,  the  life  and  ornament  of  it. 

And  so  with  the  snows  of  many  winters  on  her  head  and  the 
sunshine  of  many  summers  in  her  heart,  surrounded  by  three  or  four 
generations  of  children,  blessing  and  blessed,  the  Creole  matron  is 
at  length  gathered  to  her  fathers. 


60  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


UNDER  THE  OAKS. 


The  "code,"  as  it  is  called,  the  duello,  was  universally  recognized 
in  New  Orleans  before  the  war,  and  even  to  this  day  duels  occur, 
although  growing  rarer  every  year.  The  man  who  would  not  fight 
although  growing  raer  every  year.  The  man  who  would  not  figbt 
"in  the  days  before  the  war"  was  regarded  as  uDt  entitled  to  the 
treatment  due  a  gentleman  and  was  socially  tabooed,  and  liable  to 
insults. 

AH  the  efforts  of  the  religious  portion  of  the  community  to  stop 
duelling  proved  a  failure  and  aroused  the  most  bitter  prejudice.  An 
Article  was  inserted  in  the  Constitution  of  the  State  in  1848,  dis- 
franchising duellists.  The  Creoles  complained  bitterly  of  this,  which 
they  claimed  was  an  attempt  to  drive  men  of  courage  from  the 
State,  and  so  vigorous  was  the  opposition  raised — for  nearly  all  the 
leading  men  found  themselves  disfranchised  by  this  provision — that 
the  anti-duelling  article  was  repealed  four  years  later,  and  duellists 
restored  to  favor  again. 

In  the  early  days  the  rapier  or  colechemarde  was  ithe  weapon 
most  in  favor  in  duels,  but  broadswords  and  sabres  were  sometimes 
used.  The  Americans  introduced  the  pistol,  rifle  and  shot  gun, 
which  made  duelling  more  fatal.  With  the  rapier,  a  slight  wound 
was  sufficient  to  satisfy  honor,  whereas  with  the  shot  gun  or  rifle  one 
of  the  principals  was  nearly  always  seriously  wounded.  In  fact  in 
a  majority  of  the  duels  in  which  the  shot  gun  was  used,  one  or 
more  deaths  ensued. 

There  was  no  excuse  for  refusing  to  "fight."  No  matter  how 
high  your  position,  you  'must  accept  any  challenge  sent  you  by  a 
gentleman.  Thus,  the  first  American  Governor,  Claiborne,  left  the 
gubernatorial  mansion  to  fight  Daniel  Clarke,  the  State  represent- 
ative in  Congress  an  encounter  which  resulted  in  the  severe  wound- 
ing of  Clarke.     This  duel  took  place  at  the  mouth  of  Bayou  Marechal. 

In  the  old  Basin  street  division  of  the  St.  Louis  cemetery  may  be 
seen  a  neat  marble  shaft  erected  over  the  remains  of  W.  C.  C.  Clai- 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS         61 

borne,  the  first  Governor  of  Louisiana,  and  the  Protestant  members 
of  his  family.  On  one  of  the  four  sides  of  this  shaft  there  is  the 
following  epitaph: 

Sacred  to  the  Memorj'  of 

Micajah  Lewis, 

Brother-in-law   and    Secretary   of 

Gk)vernor  W.  C.  C.  Claiborne, 

who  fell  in  a  duel,  January  14,  1804, 

Aged  24  years. 

Young  Lewis's  death  resulted  from  political  antagonism,  whi?h 
provoked  a  bitter  personal  assault  upon  the  Governor,  whose  wife,  the 
sister  of  young  Lewis,  had  recently  died. 

Lewis  called  to  the  field  the  author  of  this  slanderous  assault,  and 
at  the  first  exchange  was  shot  through  the  heart.  He  was  a  young 
man  of  great  promise  and  elevated  sentiments,  and  his  death  gave 
infinite  sorrow  to  the  Governor  and  all  his  friends.  The  tomb  at  the 
time  it  was  constructed  was  a  very  costly  and  tasteful  one.  The  epi- 
taph was  directed  by  the  Governor  himself,  who  recognized  the  author- 
ity of  the  code  at  that  period. 

Gayarre,  in  his  history  of  Louisiana,  tells  a  story  of  a  duel  which 
occurred  between  six  young  French  noblemen  promenading  on  the 
green  sward,  on  the  very  spot  on  which  New  Orleans  now  has  its 
centre  of  trade.  "Oh,  what  a  beautiful  night!  what  a  splendid  level 
ground  for  a.  joust!  Suppose  we  pair  off,  draw  our  swords  and  make 
this  night  memorable  by  a  spontaneous  display  of  bravery  and  skill!" 
Upon  the  word  they  drew,  paired  off,  and  under  the  clear  light  of 
the  moon  their  shining  blades  gleamed  in  courteous  and  deadly  en- 
counter, and  such  valor  was  displayed  as  would  have  immortalized 
in  reasonable  battle,  these  giddy-headed  and  light  hearted  heroes. 
Two  of  them  remained  on  the  field,  pale  and  bloody  corpses,  victims 
of  a  foolish  but  heroic  bravado. 

A  very  similar  story  is  that  of  the  duel  between  Major  Henry,  of 
Nicaraguan  fame,  and  Major  Joe  Howell,  renowned  among  all  those 
who  remember  the  old  Louisiana  traditions  for  coolness  and  daring. 
Howell  and  Henry  had  met  in  a  coffee-house  at  the  corner  of  Canal 
and  St.  Charles  streets  (where  the  Crescent  Hall  now  stands),  and 
had  a  difiiculty  which  wound  up   in  a   challenge  to   fight   that   even- 


63  THE  CREOLE  TOURISTS  GUIDE 

ing  at  the  Half-Way  House.  It  was  impossible  for  the  seconds  to 
find  out  what  was  the  origin  of  the  trouble.  Howell  himself  not  re- 
collecting  anything   about    it.     It   seems    that    he   and    Major   Henry — 


a  noted  brave  of  the  Xicaraguan  army — who  had  servei  with  Walk- 
er had  had  a  mal-entendu  in  Nicaragua,  and  cherished  no  frieii'd)- 
ship    for   one   another.     They    met,    and    Henry    invited    Joe   to    drink. 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  63 

Both  were  under  the  influence  of  liquor.  Unfortunately  two  news- 
boys came  in  and  commenced  to  fight.  According  to  the  theory  of  the 
times,  Joe  bet  on  one  and  Henry  backed  the  other.  Henry's  newsboy 
caved  in,  when  he  then  remarked  that  the  fight  would  have  been 
very  different  if  he  and  Joe  had  been  engaged  instead  of  the  boys. 
Joe  nodded  "Yes."  "Well,  then,"  put  in  Nicaragua  Henry,  "sup- 
pose we  do  have  it."  Joe  whipped  out  his  six-shooter,  for  short  an- 
swer. "Hold  on,  old  boy,  I'am  not  ready;  let  us  meet  at  five  o'clock 
this  evening  at  the  Half-Way  House;  bring  your  navy;  I  will  have 
mine."  "All  right/'  answered  Joe,  and  the  whiskey  straights,  which 
had  been  losing  some  of  their  lightning  by  evaporation,  instantly  dis- 
appeared in  well-accustomed  channels;  not,  however,  before  the  glasses 
had  violently  tinkled  against  each  other.  Just  then  two  policeman 
put  in  an  appearance,  and  both  belligerents  were  taken  to  the  station. 
Mutual  friends,  actuated  as  much  by  a  desire  to  see  the  sequence  as 
by  any  other  Christian  motive,  soon  obtained  their  release.  Henry 
kept  on  drinking,  and  Joe  went  to  sleep,  as  some  great  generals 
have  done  before  him  on  the  eve  of  mighty  battles. 

Both  parties  were  known  as  men  of  indomitable  pluck  and  des- 
perate courage.  Major  Henry's  reputation  was  proverbial;  further 
on  we  will  give  some  particulars  of  his  eventful  career.  Joe  Howell 
was  a  brother-in-law  of  Jefferson  Davis,  stood  six  feet  seven  inches  in 
his  boots,  was  admirably  proportioned,  and  his  body  was  covered  with 
scars  caused  by  wounds  inflicted  with  knife,  arrow  and  bullet. 

At  4  o'clock  Joe  woke  up,  took  one  cocktail,  and  without  the 
least  nervousness  or  concern  bid  his  friends  au  revoir  and  jumped  in- 
to the  carriage.  Dr.  Sam  Choppin,  acting  surgeon  on  the  occasion 
followed  . 

On  the  way,  as  is  customary  in  the  fulfillment  of  his  duty,  Howell's 
second  offered  some  advice  to  his  man.  He  told  him  to  endeavor  to 
get  the  first  shot  in  on  his  antagonist,  to  fire  low  and  to  cock  with 
his  right  hand  without  lowering  his  pistol. 

His  answer  was,  after  driving  a  cloud  of  smoke  from  his  cigarette: 
"Tut,  tut,  my  boy,  teach  your  grandmother  how  to  suck  eggs!" 

The  second  said  more. 
•  Wben   the   grounds  were   reached   300   persons   were  found   there. 
All  the  hacks  and  cabs  had  been  engaged  as  soon  as  the  news  flashed 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS         65 

over  the  city  that  these  two  men  were  about  to  meet  in  mortal  com- 
hat.  Not  less  than  fifty  Nicaraguans  were  there;  but  these  were  clus- 
tered around  Henry,  who  could  be  seen  some  two  hundred  yards  out 
in  the  field,  resting  on  one  elbow  in  a  dry  hollow. 

Joe  Howell  had  also  many  friends  among  the  spectators  and  gay- 
ly  '.chatted  with  them. 

All  efforts  to  settle  the  affair  failed. 

"Will  you  please  give  me  your  version  of  the  cause  of  this  dif- 
ficulty," Howell's  second  asked. 

"It  don't  matter;  we  are  here  to  fight,"  was  the  sharp  answer 
from   Henry's   second. 

"Well,  but  brave  men  don't  fight  like  children,  for  nothing.  We 
want  to  know  what  we  are  going  to  fight  about;  if  we  are  wrong  we 
may  apologize,  or  vice  versa." 

"We  don't  know  anything  about  it;  but  if  there  is  to  be  an  apology. 
Major  Howell  must  make  it." 

"But  if  you  are  ignorant  of  the  origin  and  cause  of  this  difficulty 
how  can  you  point  out  our  wrong?" 

"Wait;  we  will  see  Major  Henry." 

And  off  they  went  to  the  ditch  where  Henry  sat  leisurely  resting. 

In  less  than  three  minutes  the  Nicaraguans  were  back. 

"Well?"  asked  Howell's  man. 

"Well,"  Major  Henry  says,  "if  Joe  Howell  will  apologize  it's  no 
fight." 

"Apologize  for  what?"  asked  the  other  with  some  animation. 

"Don't  know,   and   don't  care,"  was  the  laconic  reply. 

"Then  there  is  no  possible  way  of  arranging  this  matter  amicably. 
Suppose  both  parties  approach  each  other  half  way  and  shake  hands 
without  a  word?  Will  you  see  Major  Henry  and  tell  him  the  propo- 
sition comes  from  our  side?" 

After  some  discussion  they  consented  to  this,  but  very  reluctantly. 

This  time  the  seconds  remained  fully  ten  minutes  by  the  side  of 
their  principal.  There  was  animated  discussion  and  much  gesticu- 
lation among  them,  but  they  returned  and  said: "Major  Henry  says 
Joe  ought  to  apologize,  and  then  they  can  shake  hands." 

"Then  it  means  fight.  Load  your  navy,  we  will  do  likewise;  ten 
paces;   six  barrels  loaded;   fire  at  will,  and  advance." 


66 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


The  line  of  fire  was  a  narrow  path,  flanked  on  either  side  by  a 
small  ditch.  Howell  stood  six  feet  seven  inches  in  his  boots  and  con- 
trary to  advice,  wore  white  pants  and  an  alpaca  coat,  making  him  a 
dangerously  conspicuous  target. 

The  command  was  given: 

"Gentlemen  are  you  ready?" 


Old  Absinthe    House,   Bourbon   and    Bienville   Streets. 


Joe,  w^ho  was  facing  'the  woods,  answ^ered  firmly,  "Ready!"  but 
kept  his  eye  looking  steadily  along  the  barrel  of  his  cocked  pistol. 
Henry  in  a  nonchalant  fashion,  threw  his  head  on  one  side,  his  pistol 
dangling  at  his  arm,  and  in  a  lazy  tone  said,  "Ready."  The  word  was 
then  given:  "Fire!"  Both  raised  simultaneously,  fired  and  missed. 
Howell  cocked  with  his  right  thumb  and  fired  again  before  Henry  was 
ready   for   his   second    shot.     Howell's   ball   pierced    Henry's   left   fore- 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  67 

arm,  when  Henry  again  fired  and  missed.  Howell  now  came  in  with 
his  third  shot,  strikng  Henry  in  the  abdomen.  To  this  Henry  respond- 
ed with  a  shot  which  threw  up  the  dirt  right  at  Howell's  feet.  The 
latter  then  advanced  one  step,  and  taking  deliberate  aim,  pulled  the 
trigger.  Seeing  that  Henry  was  done  for,  Howell's  second  rushed  up 
and  threw  up  Joe's  pistol  with  his  hand.  The  shot  flew  away  up  in 
the  air,  that  certainly  would  then  and  there  have  killed  Henry. 

The  other  side  having  cried  "Stop!"  according  to  agreement,  in 
case  of  either  party  being  badly  wounded,  uttered  shrill  cries  of  "Foul! 
Foul!"  and  immediately  whipped  out  their  revolvers  Then  followed 
a  scene  of  confusion,  and  for  a  long  time  it  looked  as  if  a  wholesale 
duel  would  follow;  but  the  crowd  interfered,  and  prevented  the  fight. 
The  wounded  man  was  taken  to  the  Halfway  House,  where  he  remain- 
ed for  some  weeks  before  he  could  be  transported  to  the  city. 

Major  Henry  was,  what  is  known  in  the  vernacular  of  the  ordi- 
nary novelist,  a  character.  Retiring  in  disposition,  little  given  to 
talk,  of  a  melancholy  temperament,  he  gave  no  external  evidence 
of  the  power  and  determination  of  the  man  beneath.  Those  who  knew 
him  intimately  and  who  were  with  him  in  the  most  desperate  of  dai;!- 
gers  say  that  he  was  one  of  the  few  men  they  knew  who  had  no  ap- 
preciation of  the  word  fear.  He  would  face  what  appeared  to  be  al- 
most certain  death  with  an  equanimity  that  was  startling.  Joining 
Gen.  Walker's  filibustering  expedition  to  Nicaragua,  as  an  officer 
in  the  hattle  there,  he  was  noted  for  his  daring  and  coolness.  With- 
out caring  whether  he  was  followed  or  not  he  would  charge  single- 
handed  into  the  enemy's  ranks,  cutting  and  shooting,  right  and  left, 
himself  receiving  wound  after  wound.  He  seemed  to  bear  a  charm- 
ed life,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  his  body  was  covered  with 
scars,  he  received  new  wounds  without  blenching,  and  so  great  was 
his  vitality  that  he  recovered  in  a  very  short  time. 

He  served  for  many  years  as  an  enlisted  soldier  in  the  Seventh 
•Regiment  Infantry,  United  States  army;  was  made  quartermaster- 
sergeant  of  the  regiment  during  the  Mexican  war  on  account  of  gal- 
lant conduct,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  was  promoted  to  a  lieuten- 
ancy. In  this  capacity  he  was  stationed  for  a  long  time  in  the  Chero- 
kee Nation,   where   his   taciturn   disposition   made   him   very   unpopu- 


68  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

lar  with  the  men,  but  his  daring  and  recklessness  in  amorous  ex- 
ploits caused  him  to  he  quite  a  favorite  with  the  squaws. 

This  came  very  near  being  the  'Cause  of  his  death,  for  one  night 
at  a  mall  he  found  himself  suddenly  environed  by  a  crowd  of  Chero- 
kee braves,  and  when  they  dispersed  he  was  lying  on  the  ground  in 
a  pool  of  his  own  hlood,  with  seven  stabs  in  his  body.  No  other 
man  would  have  recovered,  hut  he  did. 

In  the  assault  and  taking  of  Monterey,  during  the  Mexican  war, 
Major  Henry  accomplished  a  feat  which,  for  reckless  daring,  has 
scarcely  a  parallel  in  the  annals  of  military  venture. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Monterey,  like  its  sister  city  of  Spain, 
the  immortal  Saragossa,  was  defended  foot  by  foot  and  inch  hy  inch. 
Every  window  was  a  fortalice  from  which  murderous  shots  were 
fired,  and  every  terrace  a  fortress  dealing  death  and  destruction  to 
the  alvancing  foe. 

Major  Henry,  in  the  hottest  of  the  fight,  wagered  a  dinner  with 
his  friends  of  the  regiment  that  he  would  ride  three  squares  on  a 
mule,  at  a  slow  pace,  through  the  cross-fire  of  the  Mexican  patriots 
and  return.  And  so  indeed  he  did.  The  mule  did  not  come  back, 
however,  having  fallen  pierced  by  a  dozen  balls,  a  victim  to  the  tem- 
eiity  of  its  rider.  Major  Henry  returned  on  foot,  and  won  his  wager 
somewhat  the  worse  for  his  experience,  with  three  bullets  in  his  .body. 

During  the  Nicaraguan  war  this  remarkable  fighter  distinguish- 
ed himself  on  every  occasion,  and  was  much  admired  and  respected 
as  a  soldier.  His  temper,  however,  was  not  such  as  would  permit 
him  to  live  in  peace  with  his  fellow-officers.  He  was  noted  for  sev- 
eral brilliant  duels  during  that  eventful  campaign — among  which, 
one  with  Col.  Jules  Dreux,  was  fought  at  Messiah.  He  was  major 
of  the  regiment  of  which  Dreux  was  colonel,  and  they  had  a  mis- 
understanding. Dreux  waived  his  rank,  and  they  fought  with  navy 
revolvers  at  twelve  paces. 

It  was  in  '843  that  a  very  violent  political  campaign  occurred  in 
this  State  between  the  Whig  and  Democratic  parties.  The  contest  for 
Representatives  in  Congress.  'Each  party  had  brought  forward  its 
strongest  candidates.  The  journals  of  the  two  parties  were  especially 
vigorous  and  aggressive  in  their  assaults  upon  the  nominees  of  the  ad- 
verse   party.     Personality    and    virulent    criticism    were    never    before 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  69 

carried  lo  such  a  pitch  in  this  State.  The  Tropic,  a  daily  newspaper, 
conducted  with  great  vigor  and  savagery  by  Col.  McArdle,  infused 
a  fiercely  helligerent  tone  into  the  party  and  its  press  throughout 
the  State,  Many  personal  conflicts  and  affairs  of  honor  resulted 
from  this  bellicose  spirit.  These  quarrels  of  individuals  were  adopt- 
ed by  their  parties,  and  the  fights  assumed  the  character  of  faction 
fights  instead  of  personal  affairs  of  honor.  One  of  the  most  unhappy 
and  tragic  of  these  combats  was  that  which  resulted  in  the  death  of 
Hueston  the  editor  of  the  Baton  Rouge  Gazette.  Hueston  was  of 
Northern  birth,  and  had  recently  assumed  editorial  charge  of  the 
paper,  which  had  previously  maintained  the  reputation  of  a  prudent, 
sedate  and  cautious  Whig  journal.  Hueston  gave  an  entirely  new 
character  to  the  Gazette.  The  Tropic  had  innoculated  the  Gazette 
with  its  partisan  virus,  and  its  editorials  "bristled  with  sarcasms  and 
offensive  personalities.  One  of  the  most  offensive  and  unjustifiable 
of  these,  which  led  to  the  tragic  scene  we  have  to  relate,  was  contained 
in  a  review  of  the  Congressional  candidates.  The  Democratic  can- 
didates in  the  Fourth  and  Second  Congressional  districts  were  Gen. 
Bossier  and  the  Hon.  Alcee  La  Branche.  Both  gentlemen  were  high- 
ly honored  and  admired  by  their  party  and  the  large  circles  of  per- 
sonal friends.  They  were  Creoles.  Mr.  La  Branche  had  been  Speaker 
of  our  House  of  Representatives;  was  the  first  Charge  d'Affaires  to 
Texas,  and,  in  all  his  relaitons  was  greatly  esteemed  as  a  gentleman 
of  great  propriety  and  dignity  of  behavior.  So  far  from  being  a 
duelist,  as  has  been  charged,  he  was  one  of  the  few  public  men  in 
Louisiana  who  had  never  been  engaged  in  an  "affair." 

General  Bossier  on  the  other  hand,  the  Democratic  candidate  in 
the  Fourth  district,  had  had  several  affairs  of  that  character,  in  one 
of  which,  a  sword  comhat,  he  slew  General  Gaiennie,  the  great  Whig 
leader  of  his  district.  Now,  the  Baton  Rouge  Gazette,  referring  to 
these  characteristics  of  the  two  Democratic  candidates,  taunted  the 
Democrats  of  the  Second  district  with  a  preference  for  a  man  desti- 
tute of  spirit  and  manhood,  and  those  of  the  Fourth  district  with  a 
selection  of  a  candidate  who  had,  by  his  superior  physical  power,  kill- 
ed his  antagonist.  This  article  was  regarded  by  Mr.  LaB.'s  friends 
as  an  Insult  of  the  grossest  character  to  himself,  his  party  and  his 
frienis.     Shortly    after   the   appearance   of   this   article,    Hueston   vis- 


70  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

ited  Nev.'  Orleans  where  he  was  received  by  the  fighting  men  of  his 


party  as  a  "lion."     His  arrival   was  announced  in  one  of  the  papers 
with    a  flourish.     Thereupon    Mr.    LeBranche   sought    him    in    the    St. 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS         71 

Charles  billiard-room,  and  demanded  some  reparation  for  the  gross 
insult  offered  him.  Receiving  a  defiant  response,  he  struck  Hueston 
with  a  cane  or  hilliard-cue  several  blows,  knocking  him  down  and 
disabling  him.  Hueston  was  taken  to  his  rooms.  A  surgeon  was 
sent  for,  who  attended  to  his  wounds.  Next  friends  (political  friends) 
were  called  in,  and  from  them  two  of  the  most  experienced  in  such 
affairs  were  selected  to  make  arrangements  for  the  earliest  possible 
meeting  at  the  Oaks.  These  friends  were  Colonel  W.  H.  McArdle 
and  Richard  Hagan,  both  of  whom  had  been  engaged  in  several  af- 
fairs of  a  serious  and  sanguinary  character.  Hueston's  wounds  were 
of  a  more  serious  character  than  was  at  first  imagined.  His  sur- 
geon remonstrated  against  his  going  out  for  several  days.  But  Hues- 
ton  with  an  obstancy  which  characterized  his  whole  conduct  in  this 
affair,  insisted  upon  the  meeting  taking  place  within  three  days.  Ac- 
cordingly the  arrangements  were  'made.  Mr.  La  Branche's  friends 
were  General  John  L.  Lewis  and  Jos.  Genois.  The  weapons  selected 
were  double-barreled  shotguns,  both  harrels  loaded  with  ball.  Prompt- 
ly the  parties  came  to  time  at  the  Oaks  at  break  of  day.  A  crowd 
of  spectators  had  been  attracted  to  the  scene.  In  consequence  of  this 
interruption  and  the  rumored  approach  of  police,  the  parties  changed 
the  ground  to  a  more  remote  locality.  They  could  not  elude  the  in- 
truders, of  whom  nearly  two  hundred  reached  the  spot  selected.  The 
seconds  proceeded  rapidly  with  their  arrangements.  The  ground  was 
measured.  Forty  yards  was  the  distance  agreed  on.  The  words  were: 
"Fire— one,  two,  three,  four,  five."  The  combatants  must  fire  both 
barrels  between  the  words  "fire"  and  "five."  The  weapons  were  ordi- 
nary shot-guns,  loaded  with  ball.  General  Lewis  loaded  Mr.  La 
Branche's  gun  and  Colonel  Hagan  Mr.  Hueston's.  The  word  was 
given  by  Colonel  McArdle.  Both  parties  were  cool  and  determined. 
It  was  observable,  however,  that  Mr.  Hueston  still  bore  marks  on  his 
face  of  his  recent  scuffle. 

At  the  first  fire  both  parties  discharged  their  pieces  nearly  sim- 
ultaneously. One  of  the  balls  from  Mr.  LaBranche's  piece  passed 
through  Hueston's  hat,  another  through  his  coat.  Those  of  Hueston 
flew  wide  of  the  mark.  It  was  obvious  to  the  seconds  and  the  spec- 
tators that  Mr.  LaBranche  had  the  advantage  of  greater  quickness 
and  skill  in  handling  his  weapon. 


72  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

The  seconds  of  Mr.  LaBranche  approached  those  of  Mr.  Hueston 
with  the  usual  inquiry  whether  their  principal  was  satisfied.  These 
gentlemen   consulted    Hueston.     He   shook   his   head    with    great   posi- 


tiveness,  and  requested  them  to  load  up. 

A  second  exchange  was  then  had,  with  similar  results  to  the  first. 
The  two  balls  of  LaBranche  whizzed  close  by  the  head  of  Hueston, 
who  again  fired  wild. 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  73 

There  was  another  interview  of  the  seconds  an.l  a  repetition  of 
the  emphatic  shake  of  the  head  by  Mr.  Hiieston.  His  seconds  remon- 
strated and  apologized  to  the  seconds  of  the  other  side  for  the  persis- 
tency of  their  principal,  Col.  Hagan  remarking  that  after  the  next  fire 
the  distance  should  be  shortened  or  the  parties  retire. 

The  spectators  manifested  the  same  sentiment  by  crying  out  that 
the  affa^'r  should  end  there.  But  Hueston  was  immovable,  and  with 
cool  jocularity  requested  that  the  suns  be  reloaded.  His  obstinancy 
prevailed. 

There  was  a  third  exchange.  As  the  smoke  cleared  away  tne 
combatants  were  observed  in  the  same  position,  apparently  unhurt. 
One  of  the  balls  from  LaBranche's  gun  had  barely  missed  the  skull  of 
Hueston,  passing  through  his  hair  and  slightly  puncturing  the  skin, 
causing  blood  to  flow. 

At  the  third  interview  of  the  seconds  it  was  suggested  that,  Mr. 
Hueston  being  wounded,  the  combat  should  there  end.  This  sugges- 
tion appeared  to  inflame  the  o'bduracy  of  Hueston.  "Feel  my  pulse," 
he  asked  of  the  surgeon,  "and  say  whether  it  does  not  beat  steady 
and  regular."  The  surgeon  felt  his  pulse  and  declared  that  there  was 
no  irregularity,  but  added  that  the  affair  ought  to  end  there.  So 
thought  and  declared  everybody  else  but  Hueston.  He  was  inflex- 
ible in  his  resolution  to  kill  or  be  killed.  With  manifest  sorrow  and 
indignation  arrangements  were  made  for  the  fourth  exchange  of 
shots. 

At  the  word  the  parties  fired,  as  before.  Each  discharged  botn 
barrels.  At  the  discharge  of  LaBranche's  first  barrel,  this  being  his 
seventh  shot,  Hueston  reeled  and  fell.  He  had  discharged  both  bar- 
rels of  his  gun.  LaBranche's  second  barrel  was  discharged,  being  the 
eighth  shot,  before  he  could  perceive  the  effect  of  the  last.  His 
friends  and  surgeon  advanced  to  Hueston,  who  was  prone  on  the 
ground,  lifted  him  into  a  carriage,  and  bore  him  to  the  city.  An  ex- 
amination discovered  that  he  had  been  shot  through  the  lungs,  and 
had  but  a  few  moments  to  live.  He  was  taken  to  the  Maison  de 
Sante,  where,  after  the  most  intense  agony,  during  which  he  begged 
one  of  his  friends,  as  the  last  kindness  he  could  render  him,  to  fire 
a  ball  through  his  head  and  end  his  torture,  he  died. 


74  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

Colonel  S.  L.  Oakey  came  to  this  city  from  New  York  early  in 
the  thirties.  He  engaged  at  first  'in  the  wholesale  dry  goods  business, 
and  afterwards  in  the  commission  business  for  the  sale  of  planters' 
product 

In  any  pursuit  in  which  he  was  embarked  he  displayed  great 
activity,  zeal  and  earnestness,  a  strong  will  and  dauntless  valor  and 
determination.  With  these  he  combined  a  courtly  and  knightly  bear- 
ing, a  love  of  drama,  a  taste  for  military  display,  an  intense  Demo- 
cracy and   an  ardent  patriotism. 

As  illustrative  of  these  qualities  in  1843,  he  assumed  the  cham- 
pionship of  the  cotton  factors  of  the  city  against  certain  very  bitter 
and  denunciatory  charges  which  had  appeared  in  letters  from  this 
city  in  the  Vicksburg  Sentinel,  then  conducted  by  that  famous  polemi- 
cal editor,  Hagan,  who,  on  account  of  similar  articles,  was  involved 
a  short  time  after  in  a  combat,  in  which  he  was  killed  by  the  late 
General  D.  W.  Adams. 

The  letters  from  this  city  were  traced  to  an  English  cotton  buyer, 
named  Wright,  as  the  house  of  Colonel  Oakey  was  involved  in  the 
slanders  pu'blished  by  the  Sentinel,  the  Colonel  sought  the  writer  and 
called  on  him  to  account  for  the  same.  A  personal  recontre  ensued, 
which  was  deferred  to  the  field  of  honor.  Wright  had  boasted  much 
of  his  skill  as  a  marksman.  The  rifle  was  the  weapon  selected  by 
him.  Colonel  Oakey  had  .never  fired  a  rifle  in  his  life,  and  refused 
even  to  practice  with  the  weapon.  The  parties  met  across  the  lake,  in 
Mississippi.  Wright  was  a  large,  stout  man;  Oakey  was  a  small, 
insignificant-looking  man,  of  calm,  cool  and  determined  manner,  not 
vaunting,  boastful,  or  demonstrative.  The  combatants  were  support- 
ed by  gentlemen  of  prominence  in  the  community.  The  distance  was 
sixty  yards.  Oakey  chose  the  Yager,  known  afterwards  as  the  Mis- 
gissippi  rifle;  •  Wright  used  a  highly-finished  English  rifle.  At  the 
word  Wright  fired  precipitately;  Oakey  received  and  returned  the 
fire  with  great  coolness.  His  adversary  fell  at  his  discharge — shot  on 
a  line  through  the  heart.  The  parties  returned  to  the  city  that  eve- 
ning, on  the  same  steamer  bearing  the  unfortunate  victim  of  a  duel 
conducted  with  the  strictest  punctillio. 

The  Creoles  of  New  Orleans  were  always  very  spirited  and  coura- 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS         75 

geous,  but  sometimes  fought  on  provocations,  which  the  Americans 
would  not  have  resented  in  a  manner  so  deadly. 

The  Creole  element  was  impatient  of  dissent,  and  resorted  to 
small  arms  on  all  occasions  of  differences  even  among  themselves. 
One  paper  was  especially  provocative  of  such  disputes.  The  writers 
were  Americans,  who  expressed  their  opinions  w'ithout  much  circum- 
locution, and  so  provoked  the  firery  native  greatly.  There  was  one 
article  upon  a  performance  at  the  opera.  This  critique  occasioned 
three  duels,  and  upon  reading  it  carefully  one  will  be  at  a  loss  to  find 
material  to  have  justified  one,  even  conceding  that  rational  people 
should  peril  life  at  all  on  a  question  of  singing  or  dancing. 

There  appeared  in  New  Orleans,  some  forty  years  ago,  a  very 
learned  savant  and  academician  from  whom  there  was  no  appeal  on 
any  question  of  science,  known  as  the  Chevalier  Tomasi.  Tomasi 
published  a  communication  on  the  hydraulics  of  the  Mississippi.  He 
would  either  stop  the  river,  or  make  it  deeper,  or  restrict  it  within 
boundaries  specified  by  science.  The  style  of  the  article  was  dog- 
matic and  dictatorial.  The  Academy  of  Sciences  on  Paris  was  de- 
clared as  omnipotent  in  physics  as  the  Sorbonne  has  been  in  ethics. 
Americans  were  an  ignorant  tribe  expelled  from  Europe  for  stupidity 
or  other  crimes.  To  cite  a  Creole  authority  only  provoked  a  grimace 
or  a  sarcasm.  It  is  proper  to  say  that  there  was  a  vehement  feud 
between  the  Creoles  and  French.  Men  grew  tired  of  the  society  of 
their  superiors,  and  to  have  Paris  eternally  thrown  in  their  teeth, 
with  a  word  now  and  then  about  the  filles  de  cassette  and  an  assump- 
tion of  general  superiority,  would  disturb  the  equanimity  of  the  most 
phlegmatic,  much  less  of  the  most  mercurial  people. 

So  Tomasi  was  descanting  to  a  Creole  upon  the  perfection  of  the 
system,  whatever  it  was,  when  a  Creole  associate  ventured  to  remark 
that  tha  Mississippi  was  a  very  headstrong  stream,  and  that  possibly 
the  basis  of  calculation  assumed  for  the  smaller  rivers  of  Europe 
would  not  be  found  applicable  to  so  mighty  a  stream.  At  this  Tomasi 
merely  employed  a  gesture  of  contempt,  and  added  with  a  sneer,"How 
little  you  Americans  know  of  the  world.  Know  that  there  are  rivers 
in  Europe  so  large  that  the  Mississippi  is  a  mere  rill,  figuratively 
speaking."  To  this  the  enraged  Creole  replied,  "Sir,  I  will  never  allow 
the  Mississippi  to  be  insulted  or  disparaged  in  my  presence  by  an  arro- 


76  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

gant  pretender  to  knowledge."  This  he  accompanied  with  the  flirt  of 
a  glove  in  the  face  of  the  Chevalier.  A  challenge  was  the  consequence, 
and  Professor  Tomasi  was  wounded,  as  is  supposed,  mortally.  A  day 
or  two  afterwards,  however,  the  Chevalier  appeared  in  the  streets  wear- 
ing what  the  surgeons  call  a  T  bandage  about  his  face  and  jaw.  He 
wore  quite  a  ghostly  aspect,  and  when  asked  about  it,  remarked, 
"c'est  rien;  une  egratignure  seulemeiit,''  and  stripped  away  the  ban- 


The   Historical    French    Market. 


dage,  to  show  that  the  sword  of  his  antagonist  had  duly  vindicated 
the  dignity  of  the  Mississippi  by  passing  entirely  across  the  mouth 
of  the  defamer  from  one  cheek  to  the  other.  "But,"  said  the  Cheva- 
lier, as  he  replaced  his  bandage,  "I  should  have  killed  my  antagonist 
hut  for  the  miserable  character  of  your  American  steel.  My  sword, 
sir,  doubled  like  lead.  Had  it  been  a  genuine  coTichemarde  he  would 
have  fared  properly  for  having  hrutally  outraged  the  sensibilities  of 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  77 

a  French  gentleman.  He  here  opened  a  lecture  on  the  carbonization 
of  iron,  which  could  nowhere  be  effected  properly  except  with  wood 
cut  in  a  certain  forest  of  France.  This  lecture  was  delivered  with 
pain  and  contortion  of  visage,  but  no  doubt  gave  him  great  relief,  as 
all  his  premises  and  deductions  were     accepted  without  dispute. 

But  to  merely  recount  the  duels  that  have  taken  place  at  New  Or- 
leans would  fill  a  large  volume.  The  Oaks,  the  fav^orite  meeting  place 
of  the  old  days,  and  which  now  lie  in  the  City  Park,  have  witnessed 
hundreds  of  fatal  duels.  Since  the  war  duelling  has  ^not  been  quite 
so  much  in  favor  as  it  was  a  half  of  a  century  ago,  but  hostile  meet- 
ings are  still  frequent,  and  not  a  few  of  them  have  terminated  fatally. 


KNIGHTS  OF  THE  GREEN  CLOTH. 

TTntil  about  the  year  1827  or  1828,  no  extensive  gambling  houses 
had  heen  opened  to  the  public  in  New  Orleans,  and  any  gambling 
whatever  before  that  period  was  on  a  small  scale  and  very  private. 
At  the  time  designated  'by  the  above  dates,  the  first  two  establish- 
ments were  opened  by  John  Davis,  Sr.,  the  impresario  of  the  old  Opera 
House,  on  Orleans  street,  and  the  first  impresario  in  the  United  States. 
One  of  these  gaming  resorts  was  at  the  corner  of  Orleans  and  Bourbon 
streets,  and  the  other  on  Boyou  St.  John.  The  latter  place  was  in- 
tended more  especially  for  Saturday  night  and  'Sunday  games,  which 
were  favorite  days  at  that  period  for  such  indulgencies,  and  dinner  was 
always  provided  for  the  Sunday  players.  The  Orleans  street  'branch 
was  for  daily  or  nightly  operations.  At  this  place  large  crowds  con- 
gregated, the  games  being  faro,  roulette,  and  vingt-et-un,  and  the  bet- 
ting heavy.  At  these  public  games,  however,  the  elite  and  notabilities 
of  that  day  not  as  a  rule  participate  to  any  great  extent.  For  these, 
especial  and  private  rooms  were  set  apart  in  which  hrag  and  escarte 
were  played   almost   exclusively.     Large,   very  large   sums,   were  won 


78 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


or  lost  in  these  private  rooms,  and  the  gamesters  were  business  and 
professional  men,  who  kept  regular  memorandum  books  in  which 
were  entered  their  daily  gains  or  losses. 

As  a  confirmation  of  these  facts,  years  after  the  occurrence,  one 
of  the  players  at  this  resort,  in  an  unguarded  moment,  related  that 
he  had  lost  in  one  year  upwards  of  thirty  thousand  dollars  at  es:arte; 


In  the  French  Quarter. 


that  this  loss  was  covered  by  his  winning  at  brag,  which  had  exceeded 
fifty  thousand.  It  was  well  known  that  Colonel  Ghrymes,  the  most 
distinguished  lawyer  and  advocate  at  the  New  Orleans  bar,  not  ex- 
cepting Edward  Livingston,  notwithstanding  his  large  professional 
income,  never  accumulated;  but  on  the  contrary  was  frequently  in 
an    open    impecunious    condition,    although    living    in    no    extravagant 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  79 

style.  This  abnormal  condition  in  so  remarkable  a  man,  was  only- 
accounted  for  by  his  contemporaries  upon  the  hypothesis  of  heavy 
losses  at  Davis's,  while  the  rapid  accumulation  of  a  large  fortune  hy 
another  by  no  means  brilliant  professional  man  of  the  same  period, 
within  a  career  of  less  than  ten  years,  and  while  keeping  up  an  ex- 
pensive style  of  living,  was  attributed  to  his  enormous  gains.  This 
success  was  probably  achieved  by  the  same  shrewd  and  machiavellian 
methods,  which,  added  to  the  powerful  'backing  of  a  patriarchal  fam- 
ily, finally  and  in  the  face  of  bitterest  opposition,  won  him  the  poli- 
tical success  he  had  long  vainly  struggled  for. 

Davis  was  very  successful,  made  money  fast,  and  no  one  envied 
his  success  and  good  fortune,  for  with  the  money  thus  acquired  he 
was  enabled  to  cater  to  the  musical  taste  and  to  the  attractions  of 
our  city  by  inroducing  the  opera. 

True,  he  only  brought  out  at  first  such  operas  as  "La  Dame 
Blanche "  "Le  Cheval  de  Bronze,"  "L'Eclair,  Le  Postillion  de  Lon- 
jumeau,"  and  other  light  gems;  but  he  was  at  the  same  time  laying 
the  foundation  and  creating  the  resources  which  were  thereafter  to 
enable  his  hrilliant  son,  John  Davis,  Jr.,  or  "Toto"  Davis  as  he  was 
familiarly  called,  to  bring  out  in  our  city,  and  in  advance  of  any 
and  all  impresarios  in  America,  the  chef  d'oeuvres  of  the  great  mas- 
ters— such  operas  as  "Robert,"  the  "Huguenots,"  "Moise,'  "La  Juive, 
"Don  Giovanni,"  "Le  Prophete,"  "Trovatore,'  in  short,  the  entire 
erpertoire  up  to  his  times.  This  John,  or  "Toto"  Davis,  was  one  of 
the  most  talented  and  accompHished  men  ever  in  Louisiana.  Apart 
from  a  thorough  classical  education,  acquired  in  one  of  the  royal  col- 
leges of  France,  he  had  also  gone  through  a  complete  course  of  musi- 
cal studies,  an  artistic  training  which  was  of  great  service  to  him  in 
the  selection  and  formation  of  his  opera  companies  in  Europe. 

Davis's  success  in  his  gambling-room  ventures  soon  prompted 
others  to  follow  in  his  foot-steps,  and  by  1832  not  less  than  fourteen 
large  gamhling  establishments  had  sprung  into  existence.  To  effect 
this,  however,  legislative  sanction  was  required,  and  an  appeal  hav- 
ing been  made  to  the  Leg'islature,  an  act  was  passed  by  that  body  au- 
thorizing the  opening  and  ru,nning  of  gambling  houses  in  New  Or- 
leans upon  the  payment  'by  each  to  the  State  of  an  annual  license  of 
$7,500.     Under   the   enabling  clause   of   this   law   the   fourteen  houses 


80  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

above  referred  to  went  into  operation.  These  were  owned  and  man- 
aged by  the  following  named  parties:  Hicks  and  Hewlett  opened  at 
the  •corner  of  St.  Louis  and  Chartres  street;  Duval,  on  Chartres,  be- 
tween Conti  and  Bienville;  St.  Cyr,  on  Chartres,  between  St.  Louis 
and  Conti;  Toussaint,  on  Chartres,  between  St.  Louis  and  Conti; 
Charton,  on  Canal,  between  Camp  and  St.  Charles;  Elkin,  on  Canal, 
near  St.  Charles,  and  Pradat,  also  on  Canal,  corner  of  Camp,  in  the 
building  at  present  oc^cupied  by  Moses  as  a  photograph  gallery.  The 
remaining  seven  were  distributed  between  the  two  old  municipalities, 
the  First  and  Second. 

These  houses  were  public  in  the  full  sense  of  the  term,,  open  to 
all  by  day  and  by  night,  as  similar  houses  have  been  under  the  more 
recent  administrations;  and  they  were  resorted  to  by  all  classes,  but 
more  especially  by  strangers  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  who  flocked 
to  New  Orleans  at  that  period,  as  if  to  an  El  Dorado,  in  quest  of 
wealth  which  they  supposed  could  be  grasped  without  effort,  and 
which  only  required  the  pains  of  picking  up.  Those  were  lively  times, 
not  unlike  those  of  San  Francisco  in  1849  and  1850,  and  all  of  these 
gamblers  and  gambling-houses  did  what  is  so  forcibly  expressed  by 
the  term,  a  "land  office"  business;  but  in  1836  all  these  institutions, 
like  many  others  of  a  more  legitimate  character,  camn  to  grief.  Thei^ 
end  was  an  act  passed,  accelerated  by  the  repeal  of  the  Act  of  1832, 
at  the  instigation  and  upon  the  motion  of  Mr.  Larrimore,  Representa- 
tove  of  the  parish  of  St.  Tammany.  As  a  matter  of  course,  they  ceased 
to  keep  open  houses,  in  compliance  with  the  legislative  mandate,  but 
they  continued  their  operations  in  a  clandestine  manner.  Out  of  the 
whole  number  of  individuals  engaged  in  the  gambling  business  as  far 
back  as  1828,  and  of  those  who  owned  and  operated  a  house  under  the 
Act  of  1832,  there  still  lives  in  our  midst  one  old  man,  the  only  sur- 
vivor of  the  thousands  who  witnessed  and  participated  in  those  excit- 
ing times.  This  is  old  St.  Cyr,  aged  eighty-six  years,  but  with  all  those 
years,  still  possessed  of  health,  vigor  and  memory.  This  same  octo- 
genarian was  also  a  member  of  Plauche's  celebrated  battalion,  which 
distinguished  itself  at  the  battle  of  the  8th  of  January,  and  won  the 
applause  and  commendation  of  General  Jackson. 

After  the  suppression  of  the  houses  under  the  law  of  1836,  a,nd  in 
consequence  of  the  great  panic  which  ensued,  and  the  consequent  scar- 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  81 

city  of  money,  the  business  did  not  flourish  as  it  had  in  the  years 
described,  and  continued  to  languish  until  1846.  With  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Mexican  war,  which  brought  thousands  of  soldiers  and  olfl- 
cers  to  our  city,  then  the  base  of  operations  and  supplies,  and  the  great 
California  mining  fever,  which  concentrated  tens  of  thousands  of 
emigrants  for  the  land  of  gold  in  our  midst,  another  bright  era  dawn- 
ed upon  the  sporting  element.  Under  the  stimulating  effects  of  two  so 
powerful  agencies  as  an  immense  and  reckless  transient  population, 
all  of  them  by  nature  and  temperament  bold  speculators,  ready  to 
stake  anything  or  everything  on  the  throw  of  the  dice,  and  the  ple- 
thora of  money  produced  by  such  causes  it  will  not  be  wondered  at 
that  gambling  furor  again  broke  out  in  New  Orleans.  Gambling 
houses  were  now  opened  in  all  directions,  all  over  the  city,  near  the 
St.  Mary's  Market,  near  the  steamship  landings,  near  the  hotels,  the 
boarding  and  lodging  houses,  w^herever  returning  soldiers  or  emigrants 
Quartered  or  congregated.  At  that  time  certain  houses  were  licensed 
by  ^ity  ordinance,  such  as  carried  on  the  games  of  "rondeau"  and 
"loto;''  and  all  through  the  night,  from  "dusky  eve  to  early  morn,"  in 
every  frequented  thoroughfare,  could  be  heard  the  deep  and  sonorous 
voice  of  the  game  keeper  as  he  called  time  and  game  at  rondeau. 
None  of  these  establishments,  nor  of  those  which  had  preceded  them, 
assumed  any  pretentions  to  luxury  or  elegance.  It  was  not  until  the 
fifties,  that  elegantly-furnished  houses,  where  sumptuous  dinners  and 
suppers  were  supplied  to  visitors  and  patrons,  were  introduced  in 
New  Orleans  and  the  new  departure  was  first  brought  to  perfection 
by  a  trio  comprising  three  notable  men. 

McGrath,  Sherwood  and  Perritt  were  men  of  marked  individual 
character,  with  strong  distinctive  personal  points,  and  all  of  them 
self-made  men.  In  all  their  dealings  and  in  all  their  Intercourse  in 
New  Orleans  or  elsewhere — ^and  these  were  not  confined  to  sporting 
business  and  sporting  circles,  but  extended  in  many  directions  and 
embraced  many  sections  of  legitimate  trade — those  three  men  ever 
enjoyed  a  name  and  reputation  for  fair  play,  for  strict  honesty  and 
integrity  in  all  transactions  of  whatever  nature.  Price  McGrath,  one 
of  the  partners,  upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  between  the  States, 
closed  up  his  establishment  and  went  North,  but  finally  settled  down 
in  Kentucky,  established  a  stock  farm,  and  turning  his  attention  to 


82 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


racing  and  blooded  stock,  became  one  of  the  most  successful  turfmen 
of  latter  days,  and  the  owner  of  many  winners,  among  them  the  fam- 


k 

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Camp  Street. 


ous  Tom  Bowling.     McGrath  died  some  years  ago  on  his  farm  in  his 
native  State,  Kentucky. 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  83 

Henry  Perritt,  one  of  the  trio,  in  his  pride  and  devotion  to  his 
adopted  State,  and  for  the  South,  at  his  own  expense  organized,  equip- 
ped, and  sent  to  the  battlefields  of  Virginia,  one  of  the  finest  military 
commands  which  set  out  from  New  Orleans  in  '861,  known  as  the 
"Perritt  Guards." 

The  firm  of  McGrath  &  Company  had  established  itself  at  No.  4 
Carondelet  street,  afterward  the  domicile  of  the  "Boston  Club,"  which 
they  had  purchased  and  fitted  up  at  a  cost  of  nearly  seventy  thousand 
dollars.  This  establishment  was  patronized  and  visited  by  leading 
men  not  only  of  this  State  and  city,  'but  by  prominent  men  of  the 
West  and  North,  and  especially  was  it  the  headquarters  of  all  South- 
ern and  Western  turfmen.  All  the  pools  on  the  races  of  the  period, 
and  particularly  those  on  the  races  of  the  grand  Old  Metairie,  were 
sold  at  McGrath's;  and  on  these  occasions  the  house,  thronged  with 
merchants,  planters,  lawyers,  looked  more  like  a  club,  or  an  exchange, 
than  a  gambling  house.  It  would  'be  superfluous,  with  such  patron- 
age and  so  much  popularity,  to  speak  of  its  success.  It  coined  money, 
and  no  one  begrudged  this  well-deserved  success. 

James  Sherwood  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  of  a  poor  but  respec- 
table family,  and  enjoyed  few  opportunities  of  early  education;  but 
gifted  with  lively  mental  qualities,  those  of  imagination,  imitation  and 
observation,  he  contrived  most  successfully  in  after  life  to  overcome 
the  disadvantages  and  deficiencies  of  his  youth.  In  his  composition, 
egotism  and  selfishness  found  no  lodging  place.  He  had  drifted  un- 
consciously into  this  line  of  life,  though  born  with  tastes,  inclinations 
and  abilities,  which  in  the  sphere  for  which  nature  had  fitted  him, 
would  have  placed  him  on  the  highest  pinnacle.  Had  Sherwood  gone 
upon  the  stage  and  devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  comedy,  he  must 
have  ranked  with  George  Holland,  the  Placides,  Chippendale,  and 
Owens.  As  a  raconteur  he  had  few  equals,  and  columns  could  be 
filled  in  reproducing  the  amusing  stories  and  anecdotes  with  which  he 
kept  his  friends  or  listeners  in  a  perpetual  state  of  merriment.  So 
great  was  his  enjoyment  of  social  pleasures  that  he  often  invited 
friends  and  acquaintances  to  his  palatial  parlors  with  the  express 
understanding  that  no  game  should  be  played,  entertaining  them  with 
a  sumptuous  feast,  at  which  the  wit  was  as  sparkling  as  the  wine. 


84 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


It  was  in  the  beginning  of  the  late  war,  and  during  the  early- 
stages  of  that  conflict,  that  he  fairly  exhibited  the  shining  qualities 
of  his  loyal  and  generous  nature.  Ill  health  and  a  delicate  constitu- 
tion not  permitting  him  to  undergo  the  fatigues  and  hardships  of 
camp  and  military  life,  he  more  than  compensated  for  this  exemption 
by  aiding  several  organizations  of  New  Orleans,  supplying  them  with 
money,  clothing  and  equipments.     'Nor  did   his   good   and  loyal   deeds 


Sugar   Cane    Cutting,    18    Miles    from    New   Orleans. 


stop  there,  for  he  contributed  generously  to  the  families  of  those  who 
remained  at  home. 

At  the  same  period  that  the  popular  house  of  Sherwood  &  McGrath 
flourished,  there  were  several  other  large  and  elegantly  apointed  gam- 
ing houses  which  attempted  to  compete  with  it  for  popularity.  One 
of  these  was  owned  and  conducted  by  Lauraine  and  Cassidy.     They, 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  S") 

no  tdoutit,  were  very  popular,  and  secured  some  share  of  success,  as 
they  had  made  their  estahlishment  very  attractive  by  profuse  liber- 
ality in  their  entertainments.  Their  supper  service  was  of  massive 
embossed  silver,  and  formed  <a  feature  of  the  house.  At  this  estab- 
lishment it  was  that  a  prominent  Greek  merchant,  the  representative 
of  a  large  Greek  commercial  firm  having  branches  in  all  the  large 
commercial  cities  of  Europe  and  America,  lost  very  large  sums,  which 
embarrassed  his  firm  and  led  to  his  recall  from  the  city.  The  loss  at 
one  night's  play  was  reported  at  the  time  to  have  been  eighty  thous- 
and dollars.  This  establishment,  like  that  of  McGrath,  closed  its 
doors  in  1861. 

One  of  the  partners,  Charles  Cassidy,  who  went  to  New  York, 
where  he  died,  was  a  facile  and  entertaining  writer,  particularly  on 
racing  and  turf  matters.  For  awhile  he  was  correspondent  of  the 
Spirit  of  the  Tirrbes,  reporting  to  that  valuable  sporting  journal  the 
spring  and  fall  races  at  New  Orleans,  under  the  nom  de  plume  of 
"Larkin." 

Augustus  Lauraine,  his  partner,  also  left  New  Orleans  in  1861, 
and,  after  swinging  all  around  the  country,  finally  settled  in  the  flour- 
ishing city  of  Dallas,  Texas.  There,however,  he  fell  from  grace  in  the 
estimation  of  his  brother  professionals  in  New  Orleans  o,n  account  of 
certain  infractions  of  their  rules.  It  must  be  understood  that  among 
these  sporting  men  there  exists  a  code  as  rigid  and  exacting  as  any 
enforced  on  any  exchange  and  stock  board.  A  debt  between  one 
and  another  is  a  sacred  obligation — one  which  is  never  proscribed  and 
never  sued  upon.  If  loss  and  misfortune  befall  any  of  them,  they  are 
ever  ready  to  assist  the  unfortunate  and  contribute  to  his  support. 
They  never  oppress  with  lawsuits,  but  at  the  same  time  they  do  re- 
quire and  exact  by  their  code  that  if  one  retrieves  his  fortunes  he 
shall  come  up  like  a  man  and  take  up  his  old  obligations.  This,  it  is 
claimed,  Lauraine  has  not  done,  and  that  he  has  failed  in  gratitude, 
especially  to  one,  a  veteran  of  the  fraternity  in  this  city,  the  man  and 
brother  ^'lio  had  started  and  staked  him  in  his  first  ventures  in  New 
Orleans. 

A  number  of  other  establishments  existed,  among  them  that  kept 
by  Sam  Levy  and  "Count"  Lorenzo  Lewis,  called  count,  on  account  of 
his  urbane  and  polite  manners  and  faultless  dressing.     Then  Montiro, 


86  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

game  and  plucky  little  Montiro,  who  was  located  on  Canal  street,  near 
'Eyrich's.  He  followed  our  boys  to  Virginia,  opened  a  house  in  Rich- 
mond, where  he  received,  fed,  and  succored  many  a  sick  and  wounded 
New  Orleans  soldier.  Who  of  the  old  ones  will  forget  the  episode  of 
Montiro's  wounding  and  checking  the  boldest  and  most  daring  burg- 
lar ever  in  New  Orleans,  the  notorious  Charles  Alexander  Gordon? 

There  was  also  a  quaint  establishment  at  the  corner  of  Toulouse 
and  Chartres  streets,  kept  'by  a  Frenchman,  with  the  Roman  name  of 
Curtius,  called  by  courtesy  a  club,  which  is  worthy  of  description  on 
account  of  those  who  frequented  the  place,  and  were  considered 
"habitues,"  or  mem'bers.  It  was  a  hightoned  place.  There  was  no 
initiation  fee,  but  every  player  paid  fifty  cents  an  hour.  This  entitled 
him  to  refreshments  free  of  cost,  and  also  to  a  solid,  substantial  and 
well  cooked  dinner,  with  claret  ad  libitum.  The  games  played  were 
Boston,  poker,  and  chess.  There  was  a  limit  to  the  betting  at  poker, 
not  more  that  $100  heing  allowed  as  a  bet  on  one  single  hand.  It  was 
not  public,  and  a  formal  introduction  by  an  old  member  and  indorse- 
ment of  character  were  required  before  admission. 

There  were  also,  in  olden  times,  a  class  of  traveling  gamblers, 
who  journeyed  up  and  down  our  western  rivers,  among  whom  there 
were  characters  worthy  of  a  pen  picture. 

It  was  during  the  winter  of  1850,  that  New  Orleans  was  honored 
by  the  visit  of  a  trio  of  titled  and  peripatetic  gamblers,  who  might 
with  more  propriety,  be  called  adventurers  and  imposters.  Their 
names  were  the  Duke  de  Calabritto,  an  Italian,  and  the  Counts  de 
Biennerie  and  de  Frienge,  both  Hungarians,  hailing  from  Pesth,  who 
fleeced  the  whole  town,  especially  the  jeunesse  doree,  very  thoroughly. 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  87 


GRUESOME  EXECUTIONS. 

In  former  years  all  or  nearly  all  executions  were  public;  but  the 
last  one  was  that  of  Delisle  and  Adams,  the  former  a  Creole  and  the 
latter  a  Frenchman,  who  were  convicted  of  murdering  a  woman  in 
what  is  now  known  as  the  Third  district.  They  saw  the  w^oman  se- 
crete a  bag  containing  what  they  thought  was  specie,  and  they  killed 
her  to  obtain  possession  of  it,  w^hen,  to  their  consternation,  the  bag 
w^as  found  to  contain  pecans.  The  circumstances  surrounding  their 
execution  were  so  horrible  that  a  riot  was  imminent.  It  is  said  that 
they  appeared — to  the  eyes  of  the  multitude  assembled  in  the  neutral 
ground  on  Orleans  street — on  the  small  gallery  extending  across  the 
alley  or  court  between  the  two  buildings,  the  male  and  female  depart- 
ments, which  form  the  Parish  Prison. 

Delisle  was  violent  and  demonstrative,  whilst  Adams  was  subdued 
and  quiet,  and  wished  to  precipitate  matters.  The  ropes  were  ad- 
justed around  their  necks,  Delisle  expostulating  loudly  all  the  time. 
The  weather  w^as  dark  and  gloomy,  a  sombre  cloud  overspread  the 
face  of  the  blue  sky,  angry  flashes  of  lightning  lit  up  the  scene  with 
short  lurid  darts  of  flame,  followed  by  the  dull,  rolling  noise  of  thun- 
der in  the  distance. 

The  trap  fell,  and  at  the  same  instant  a  blinding  flash  of  light- 
ning, almost  instantaneously  followed  hy  a  loud  clap  of  thunder,  al- 
most frightened  the  people  into  spasms.  The  rain  poured  down  in  tor- 
rents, drenching  all.  Many  fled  the  terrible  scene,  rendered  doubly 
terrible  by  the  ominous  appearance  of  the  heavens.  When  the  fear, 
which  was  only  momentary  with  most  of  those  present,  had  somewhat 
subsided,  the  ropes  were  seen  dangling  and  swaying  loosely  in  the 
wind,  for  there  was  nothing  at  the  lower  end. 

On  the  flagging  beneath  the  gallows  two  forms  were  seen  lying 
on  the  pavement;  they  were  the  bodies  of  Delisle  and  Adams.  The 
former  started  to  crawl  away  on  hands  and  feet,  and  the  latter  lay 
moaning  with  pain.     His  arm  was  broken.     Pity  for  the  two  men  be- 


88  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

came  predominant  in  the  hearts  of  the  multitude;  but  the  law  was 
inexorible,  and  its  servants  were  compelled  to  perform  their  horrible 
duty.  The  two  men  were  picked  up  and  conducted  back  to  their  for- 
mer positions  on  the  scaffold,  despite  the  torrents  of  rain  which  fell; 
and  in  defiance  of  what  seemed  to  the  terror-stricken  people  to  be  an 
Intervention  of  Providence,  they  were  hung. 


'h2    Haunted   Hcuse,  Chartres  Street. 


The  police  force  at  that  time  was  under  the  command  of  Steve 
O'Leary,  and  he  with  a  detail  of  fully  two  hundred  men  had  great 
diflaculty  in  quieting  the  mob  during  the  confusion  which  ensued. 

This  execution  was  viewed  with  so  much  abhorrence  and  indig- 
nation throughout  the  city,  that  the  Legislature  at  its  next  session 
passed  a  law  prohibiting  public  executions. 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  89 

Up  to  this  time  hangman's  or  execution  day  was  a  gala  day;  for 
the  morbid  curiosity  so  common  to  human  nature  then  had  an  oppor- 
tunity for  gratification,  and  there  were  but  few  persons  who  remained 
at  home. 

Many  persons  are  yet  living  in  this  city  who  remember  when  the 
condemned  criminals  were  conducted  under  strong  military  escort  to 
the  Place  d'Armes,  or  Congo  square,  the  corner  of  Orleans  and  Ram- 
part streets,  or  the  neutral  ground  in  front  of  the  Parish  Prison.  In 
1843,  or  thereabouts,  a  man  was  executed  somewhere  in  the  vicinity 
of  Dryades  and  Felicity  streets,  then  known  as  Gormley's  Pond.  His 
crime  was  the  attempted  assassination  of  Recorder  Baldwin. 

A  numTDer  of  instances  where  condemned  criminals  sought  to 
cheat  the  hangman  by  suicide  ,can  be  cited.  One  was  the  case  of  a 
German  who  had  murdered  a  child,  and  who  sought  to  cut  his  throat 
with  a  piece  of  tin-plate  or  spoon;  but  the  most  notable  and  successful 
attempt  was  that  of  a  man  named  Costello.  He  and  a  man  named  Pat 
Kennedy,  both  convicted  of  murder,  were  doomed  to  die  on  the  same 
day.  Kennedy  had  been  respited  on  a  previous  occasion,  although 
fully  prepared  then  to  meet  his  doom.  When  Costello  was  sentenced 
his  execution  was  fixed  for  the  same  day.  Several  days  previous  to 
that  fixed  for  the  execution,  the  clothes  which  were  to  be  worn  by 
the  condemned  men  were  ^Drought  to  them.  In  the  cuff  of  Costello's 
shirt  was  concealed  a  small  package  of  strychnine. 

On  the  morning  of  the  execution  Costello  said  to  Kennedy:  "Are 
you  going  to  let  that  howling  crowd  see  you  dance  on  nothing?" 

Kennedy  did  not  answer;  whereupon  Costello  tore  open  the  wrist- 
band of  his  shirt  and  produced  a  package  containing  the  poison. 
Facing  Kennedy  he  said:  "Here  you  can  have  half  of  this;  there  is 
enough  for  two." 

Kennedy  asked  him  what  he  was  going  to  do,  when  Costello 
opened  his,  mouth  and  dropped  the  contents  of  the  package  on  his 
tongue  and  swallowed  it.  Kennedy  gave  the  alarm,  but  too  late,  for 
half  an  hour  afterwards  Costello  was  in  convulsions  and  beyond  the 
reach  of  human  skill  or  science.  Kennedy  died  quietly,  confident  that 
his  sins  had  been  forgiven. 

During  what  is  now  called  Know-Nothing  times,  Antoine  Cambre, 
who  was  under  sentence  of  death,  suicided  by  poison  in  the  condemned 


90 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


cell.  He  had  been  convicted  of  murder,  having  wantonly  shot  and 
killed  a  lamplighter,  who  was  in  the  act  of  extinguishing  a  lamp  one 
morning  in  the  Third  district. 

On  June  the  16th,  1858,  the  first  private  execution  under  the  law 
of  theLegislature  took  place  in  the  criminal  yard  of  the  Parish  Prison, 
and  James  Nolan,  a  young  man  of  22  years,  was  launched  into  eter- 
nity. 


The   Sugar   Exchange. 


On  March  the  8th,  1869,  a  triple  execution  took  place  and  Joseph 
Lindsey,  Peter  Smith  and  Henry  Haus  paid  the  penalty  for  the  crime 
of  murder.  Lindsey  was  a  young  boarding-house  runner,  who  killed 
a  mate  in  a  difficulty  on  shipboard,  Henry  Haus  a  German,  who  killed 
a  fellow-prisoner  in  the  lock-up,  and  Peter  Smith,  a  backsliding 
minister  of  the  gospel,  who  murdered  his  mistress. 

On  July  29,  '859,  James  Mullen  expiated  the  crime  of  murder  on 
the  gallows.  For  weeks  previously  Mullen  used  his  coffin  to  sleep  in. 
He  passed  his  time  in  decorating  this,  his  last  home. 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS         91 

On  May  7,  1862,  W.  B.  Mumford  was  executed  in  front  of  the 
United  States  Mint  on  Esplanade  street,  charged  with  tearing  down 
the  Federal  flag  from  that  building.  The  trap  door  was  huilt  out  in 
front  of  the  middle  of  the  landing  at  the  head  of  the  double  flight  of 
of  stairs  leading  up  on  each  side.  A  strong  military  escort,  both 
cavalry  and  infantry,  was  present,  and  kept  the  large  crowd  back 
from  the  fence.  Mumford  died,  apparently  without  a  struggle.  The 
next  execution  was  also  a  public  one,  and  was  carried  into  effect  on 
the  levee.  The  victim  in  this  case  was  a  soldier  named  Frances  T. 
Scott,  who  foully  murdered  Major  Pullen,  of  the  28t'h  Maine  Regi- 
ment. Father  Duffo  ministered  to  his  spiritual  wants.  Scott  was 
shot  to  death. 

In  1870  a  Malay  named  Bazar  was  on  the  scaffold,  the  rope  was 
around  his  neck,  the  black-  cap  had  'been  drawn  over  his  eyes.  The 
executioner  stood  in  cell  No.  9  arrayed  in  his  hlack  domino,  with  his 
face  covered  by  the  somhre-hued  mask.  The  nervous  fingers  of  the 
hangman  had  already  grasped  the  handle  of  the  keen-edged  axe,  the 
arm  was  uplifted  and  about  to  fall  ,when  a  commutation  of  sentence 
stayed  proceedings,  and  Bazar's  sentence  was  commuted  to  imprison- 
ment for  life. 

Another  case  where  a  reprieve  was  granted  at  the  last  moment, 
almost,  was  that  of  six  Confederate  soldiers:  Abraham  McLane, 
Daniel  Doyle,  Edward  C.  Smith,  Patrick  Kane,  Greorge  L.  Williams 
and  William  Stanley.  They  had  been  captured  at  Fort  Jackson  by 
the  Federal  troops  and  paroled,  and  afterward  endeavored  to  organ- 
ize a  company  of  Confederates  in  the  city,  called  the  Monroe  Life 
Guards,  armed  and  equiped  to  force  their  way  through  the  lines.  They 
were  sentenced  to  fbe  shot  on  the  4th  of  June,  1862,  by  Gten.  Butler, 
hut  their  sentence  was  commuted  to  imprisonment  on  Ship  Island. 


92  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


MARDI  GRAS,  THE  GREAT  CARNIVAL. 

One  of  the  most  graphic  papers  of  the  celebrated  Parisian  critic 
and  newspaper  writer,  Jules  Janln,  is  an  article  published  many  years 
ago,  entitled  "Le  Carnaval."  Combining  wit,  erudition,  philosophy  and 
social  ethics,  the  sketch,  graced  with  all  the  fascinations  of  this  inimit- 
able feniUetoniste's  style,  would  be  as  truthful  and  readable  now  as 
it  was  when,  some  forty  years  ago,  it  presented  a  dazzling  kaleido- 
scope of  the  Mardi  Gras  celebration  in  Paris,  at  the  height  of  that 
city's  splendor  and  gayety,  in  Louis  Philloppe's  time. 

Those  were  the  days,  too,  of  the  prosperity  of  Louisiana,  when 
her  wealthy  planters  and  merchants,  descendants  of  the  adventurous 
Frenchmen  who  colonized  the  delta  of  the  Mississippi,  looked  to  the 
motherland  for  their  fashions,  their  amusements  and  their  literature; 
and  sent  scores  of  their  sons  to  Paris  to  complete  their  education. 
These  young  Creoles  returned  home  with  Parisian  ideas  and  tastes  so 
engrained  in  them  that  it  was  natural  they  should  seek  to  transplant 
to  New  Orleans  the  theatrical,  operatic,  terpsichorean  and  other 
amusements  of  the  great  metropolis  on  the  Seine. 

It  was  in  1827,  sometime  before  the  elder  Davis  opened  the  old 
Orleans  Theatre  Ball-room,  that  a  number  of  young  Creole  gentlemen, 
some  of  them  just  returned  from  finishing  a  Parisian  education,  or- 
ganized the  first  street  procession  of  masqueraders  in  New  Orleans. 
One  more  splendid  still,  and  still  larger  in  numbers,  took  place  on  the 
Mardi  Gras  of  1837;   and  another,  still  more  brilliant,  in  1839. 

The  French  side  of  the  Bee,  of  Tuesday,  13th  February,  1839,  had 
a  very  gay  and  witty  article  on  the  day's  celebration,  written  by  one 
of  its  assistant  editors,  Hans  Boussuge,  a  talented  young  Frenchman, 
a  new-comer  from  Paris,  who  died  a  year  or  two  after,  of  yellow  fever. 
This  article  concludes  thus: 

"The  persons  who  are  to  take  part  in  the  masquerade  are  re- 
quested to  meet  at  the  Theatre  d'Orleans,  at  3  1-2  o'clock  p.  m.,  at  the 
latest. 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  93 

ORDER    OF    MARCH. 

From  the  Theatre  d'Orleans,  Royal  street,  St.  Charles,  Julia,  Camp, 
Chartres,  Conde,  Esplanade,  Royal." 

We  very  well  remember  the  appearance  of  this  long  and  brilliant 
cavalcade  as  it  passed  up  St.  Charles  street,  near  Lafayette  square, 
one  of  the  most  conspicuous  figures  being  an  immense  chicken  cock, 
six  feet  high,  who  rode  in  a  vehicle  and  whose  stentorian  crow,  as  he 
flapped  his  big  wings,  elicited  cheers  of  admiration  and  applause  from 
the  crowds  on  the  sidewalks.  A  distinguished  physician,  then  quite 
a  young  man,  it  was  understood,  bore  this  admirably  rendered  disguise. 

A  grand  mask  and  fancy  dress  ball  in  the  old  St.  Louis  Hotel  Ball- 
room, and  one  in  the  Salle  d'Orleans  (next  to  the  theatre)  wound  up 
the  famous  Mardi  Gras  of  '839. 

From  1840  to  1845,  several  of  these  brilliant  day  displays  took 
place.  They  were  in  the  hands  of  gentlemen  representing  all  the  re- 
spectable element  of  the  city's  heterogeneous  population,  and  were 
conducted  in  the  same  thorough  style,  and  with  the  same  taste  and 
liberal  expenditure  that  have  made  the  later  displays  of  the  Mistick 
Krewe,  the  Twelfth  iNight  Revelers,  and  the  Knights  of  Momus  mem- 
orable gala  nights  in  the  history  of  New  Orleans. 

The  lapse  of  years  and  changes  of  fortune  'brought  many  changes, 
also,  in  the  social  characteristics  of  New  Orleans;  and  the  day  cele- 
bration of  Mardi  Gras  lapsed  into  oblivio,n.  The  last,  most  brilliant 
and  most  successful  of  all,  delighted  and  amused  the  town,  after  sev- 
eral years'  quiescense  and  neglect,  on  the  Mardi  Gras  of  1852. 

A  number  of  New  Orleans'  first  young  men  determined  to  get  up  a 
procession,  on  the  occasion  alluded  to,  that  would  equal  in  numbers, 
in  order,  variety,  elegance  and  piquancy  of  costumes,  any  that  the 
chronicles  of  Mardi  Gras  in  this  country  could  record.  The  announce- 
ment of  this  intention,  through  the  press,  excited  universal  curiosity; 
and  s\^hen  the  memorable  day  came.  New  Orleans  boasted  of  an  ac- 
cession to  her  population,  in  the  shape  of  visitors  from  the  North, 
West  and  South,  that  has  not  been  surpassed  since. 

The  procession  traversed  the  leading  streets  of  the  city,  which 
were  positively  jammed  with  admiring  throngs,  and  at  night  the  old 
Orleans  Theatre  was  the  center  of  attraction  for  all  that  the  Crescent 


94  THE  CREOLE  TOURISTS  GUIDE 

Citv  held   of  beauty  and   fashion.     The   maskers  of  the   day  there   re- 


ceivel  their  friends;   ani  that  bewildering  ball  was  long  remembered 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  95 

as    the   gem    of   many    such   jewels    clustering   in    the    diadem    of   the 
Queen  of  the  South. 

In  these  days,  however,  the  celebration  of  Mardi  Gras  was  can- 
fined  mainly  to  a  number  of  maskers  who  walked  or  rode  around  the 
streets.  It  was  a  great  day  with  the  boys,  also,  who,  clothed  in  old 
dominoes  and  masks,  with  a  stout  hickory  club  in  their  hands  and  a 
bag  of  flour  by  their  sides,  would  march  around  the  streets,  looking 
for  an  available  victim  on  whom  they  could  throw  their  flour,  and 
whom,  if  they  resisted,  they  would  punish  with  their  shillelaghs.  Some 
of  the  wilder  boys,  conceived,  however,  the  idea  of  substituting  lime 
for  flouf,  and  as  this  on  more  than  one  occasion  came  very  near  pro- 
ducing blindness,  the  police  had  to  step  in  and  arrest  the  boys.  This 
surveillance  was  kept  up  for  several  years,  until  both  the  flour  auu 
the  lime  disappeared.  The  flour  throwing  was  evidently  a  relic  of  the 
Roman  habit  of  throwing  little  confetti  made  of  paste  or  plaster  at 
maskers 

But,  although  for  many  years  Mardi  Gras  was  celebrated  by  the 
appearance  of  many  maskers  on  the  streets,  there  was  no  attempt  at 
a  general  procession  or  cele.bration  such  as  we  have  to-day. 

Mobile  first  inaugurated  the  idea  of  presenting  scenes  on  floats 
moving  around  the  streets,  the  Cowbellions  of  that  city  having  had  a 
parade  as  early  as  1831.  The  first  entertainment  of  this  kind  in  New 
Orleans  was  'given  in  1857.  The  affair  had  :been  well  worked  up,  and 
there  was  so  much  secrecy  about  it  that  ^not  even  the  wives  of  those 
who  were  engaged  in  it  knew  aught  of  it.  All  that  the  public  was 
aware  of  was  that  an  organization,  known  as  the  Mistick  Krewe, 
would  appear  on  the  streets  at  night,  representing  various  tableaux. 
The  consequence  was  that  the  streets  were  crowded  with  people,  who 
welcomed  this  display  with  shouts  of  applause.  Its  complete  success 
was  assured,  and  as  a  consequence  the  Mistick  Krewe  has  not  since 
ceased  to  parade  on  Mardi  Gras  except  when  war  or  pestilence  for- 
bade. 

The  following  is  a  description  of  the  first  appearance  of  the  Mis- 
tick Krewe  procession  on  our  streets,  from  a  paper  of  that  date: 

"This  Krewe,  concerning  whose  identity  and  purposes  there  had 
been  tortures  of  curiosity  and  speculation,  made  their  dehut  before 
the     public  in  a  very     unique  and  attractive     manner.     They     went 


96 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


through  the  streets  at  nine  o'clock  with  torchlights,  in  a  guise  as 
much  resembling  a  deputation  from  the  lower  regions  as  the  mind 
could  possibly  conceive.  The  masks  displayed  every  fantastic  idea 
of  the  fearful  and  horrible,  their  effect  being,  however,  softened  down 


o 

s_ 
3 
03 


by  the  richness  and  beauty  of  the  costumes,  and  the  verdant  decorum 
of  the  devils  inside. 

"After    going    through    the    principal    streets,    and    calling    upon 
Mayor  Waterman  for  the  purpose,  we  suppose,  of  obtaining  a  license 


AXD  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  97 

to  "raise  the  supernatural"  in  the  Gaiety  Theatre,  they  proceeded  to 
that  elegant  establishment  in  order  to  entertain  the  hosts  of  guests 
they  had  summoned. 

"The  interior  of  the  theatre  was  decorated  with  a  profusion  of 
hanging  wreaths  and  festoons  of  flowers.  In  a  short  time  after  the 
doors  were  thrown  open,  all  the  space  inside,  apart  from  the  floor 
and  stage,  was  jammed  with  an  audience  composed  of  the  elite  of 
Louisiana  and  the  adjace.nt  States — none  being  in  mask  but  the  Krewe, 

"In  due  time  the  Mistick  Krewe  appeared  on  the  stage  in  the  full 
glare  of  the  lights.  If  we  may  so  speak,  they  were  beautiful  in  their 
ugliness — charming  in  their  repulsiveness.  There  were  upwards  of 
a  hundred  of  them,  and  no  two  alike,  whilst  all  were  grotesque  to  the 
last  degree.  They  represented  the  different  characters  with  which  re- 
ligion, mythology  and  poesy  have  peopled  the  Infernal  Regions,  and 
which  Milton  has  aggregated  in  his  "Paradise  Lost." 

"Four  tableaux  were  given.  The  flrst  represented  Tartarus,  the 
second,  the  Expulsion,  the  third,  the  Conference  of  Satan  and  Belze- 
bub,  and  the  fourth,  and  last,  the  Pandemonium. 

"At  the  conclusion  of  the  tableaux,  the  barriers  were  removed, 
and  the  brilliant  audience  crowded  upon  the  dancing  floor.  The 
Mistick  Krewe  having  disbanded,  dispersed  among  the  crowd  and 
joined  in  the  dance  in  a  manner  which  showed  them  to  be  very  gen- 
tlemanly and  agreeable  devils." 

MINOR  MASKING  CLUBS  ALSO  ADD  TO  THE  ANNUAL  REVELRY. 

Knights  of  Proteus,,  new  organization,  appeared  in  1882,  the  day 
before  Mardi  Gras,  with  a  very  handsome  parade.  A  Dream  of  Egypt, 
showing  the  various  Egyptian  deities,  Osiris,  Isis,  Thoth  and  Nilus; 
the  Mourning  of  the  Egj'ptians,  an  Egyptian  "Wedding,  etc. 

HOW  THE  PARADES  ARE  PREPARED. 

The  Carnival  celebration  in  New  Orleans  has  of  late  years  sur- 
passed, in  extent  and  grandeur,  all  similar  events  occurring  either  in 
Europe  or  this  country.  Beside  it  the  carnivals  of  the  Corso  of  Rome 
and  the  canals  of  Venice  are  tame  affairs,  lacking  the  exquisite  order 


98 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


and  organization  with  which  the  Americans  have  endowed  it.  Though 
frequently  described  in  letters  and  by  the  public  press,  it  yet  has  to  be 
seen  to  be  appreciated,  and  few  enjoy  that  privilege  once  without 
thereafter  making  an  annual  pilgrimage  to  the  Crescent  City  during 
its  festive  season. 


Til  ton's   Librarv — Tulane  University 


Few  understand  the  admirable  and  thorough  system  of  organiza- 
tion, through  which  alone  such  grand  successes  can  be  achieved — a 
system  as  complete  in  its  little  way  as  that  of  an  army  or  an  estab- 
lished government. 

In  fact,  it  does  embrace  a  phantom  government,  ruled  over  by  the 
mythical  Rex,  whose  reign  is  absolute  for  twenty-four  hours,   during 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  99 

which  his  flag  is  alone  permitted  to  fly;  and  whose  edicts  are  as  im- 
plicitly obeyed  as  were  those  of  an  Alexander  or  a  Nero.  The  central 
power  is  contributed  to  and  supported  by  several  secret  societies,  each 
independent  within  itself,  but  all  co-operating  to  a  single  e.nd.  Outside 
of  Rex's  court  there  are  other  and  some  older  secret  associations, 
such  as  the  Mistick  Krewe,  the  Twelfth  Night  Revelers,  the  Knights 
of  Momus,  etc.  Each  of  these  has  its  own  distinct  gala  night  devoted 
to  its  street  procession  and  its  tableau  balls,  to  which  the  tickets  are 
invariably  complimentary. 

The  expense  of  one  these  displays  ranges  in  cost  from  $12,000  to 
$18,000,  and  sometimes  higher.  In  one  instance  Rex's  display  cost 
$28,000.  Each  association  owns  its  twenty  floats,  its  ladders  and 
lights,  housings  for  the  draft-horses  and  disguises  for  the  torch-bear- 
ers, but  none  of  them  have  any  known  permanent  meeting-place,  which 
changes  constantly  and  is  kept  sacredly  secret. 

Each  association  ntimbers  from  150  to  200  men,  generally  club 
men,  some  of  them  grand-fathers.  One  hundred  are  generally  se- 
lected to  appear  in  the  display,  while  the  others  are  utilized  in  other 
duties  which  are  more  onerous  than  is  generally  supposed.  The  prep- 
aration for  a  display  occupies  almost  an  entire  year,  and  the  torch- 
lights of  one  hardly  die  out  before  work  is  on  foot  for  its  successor, 
all  of  which  is  conducted  with  the  greatest  secrecy. 

The  first  step  taken  after  Mardi  Gras  is  a  meeting  for  the  election 
of  a  design  committee  for  the  ensuing  year,  over  whom  is  elevated 
"the  captain,"  with  absolute  power,  experience  having  demonstrated 
imperial  power  and  blind  obedience  to  be  the  main  essentials  of  the 
system. 

Next  the  artist  is  summoned  for  consultation.  Each  member  of 
the  committee  .now  proposes  one  or  more  subjects  for  treatment,  the 
best  half-dozen  of  which  are  delivered  to  the  artist  to  reproduce  in 
rough  crayon  sketches  throughout.  When  completed,  the  committee 
meets  again  for  consultation,  and  a  final  selection  is  made.  This  is 
always  the  most  difficult  problem  encountered,  and  generally  con- 
sumes an  entire  month,  after  which  the  work  begins  in  earnest. 

The  artist  at  once  commences  the  preparation  of  accurate  water 
color  sketches  of  each  of  the  hundred  characters,  upon  cardboards 
about  the  size  of  an  imperial  photograph.     These  are  finished  to  the 


109  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

minutest  detail  and  carefully  colored  for  the  use  of  the  costume  man- 
ufacturer, the  material  of  which  every  part  of  the  dress  is  to  be  made 
being  inscribed  upon  it. 

These  completed  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  design  committee — .no 
easy  task,  .by  the  way,  and  one  requiring  a  couple  of  months  for  exe- 
cution— the  cast  of  characters  is  then  made  in  liarmony  with  the  in- 
dividual characteristics  of  the  members,  who  from  that  time  forward 
also  their  identity  and  are  designated  only  by  .numbers  w^hich  are 
inscribed  upon  the  separate  character  cards.  These  cards  also  bear 
upon  their  reverse  the  height,  girth,  weight,  size  of  foot,  head  and 
hand,  together  with  a  record  of  the  physical  peculiarities  of  the  indi- 
vidual who  is  to  assume  the  indicated  role. 

This  done,  the  artist  at  once  commences  upon  a  duplicate  series  of 
eighteen  or  twenty  larger  and  much  more  elaborate  water  color  de- 
signs in  which  all  the  characters  appear  grouped  in  the  respective 
emblematic  tableaux  they  are  to  exhibit  upon  the  floats  in  the  street 
procession,  together  with  the  float,  designs,  decorations  and  aacesso- 
ries,  each  one  being  a  little  scene  within  itself. 

When  completed,  one  set  of  these — each  figure  duly  numbered — is 
posted  upon  the  walls  of  the  club-room,  or  "The  Den,"  as  it  is  generally 
called,  for  the  members'  close  scrutiny  and  study  during  the  balance 
of  the  year. 

The  other  set,  together  with  the  individual  character  cards,  are 
then  either  taken  or  sent  to  Paris,  where  the  costumes  are  manufact- 
ured and  numbered  to  correspond.  These  preliminaries  are  generally 
consummated  by  July  1,  and  a  short  breathing  spell  ensues,  during 
which  time  the  local  papier-maiche  maker  is  'busy  moulding  the  prop- 
erties which  are  required  to  decorate  the  floats. 

By  December  1st,  the  costumes  generally  arrive  in  Xew  Orleans. 
They  are  at  once  removed  to  "The  Den,"  where  tliey  are  ranged  upon 
long  tables,  each  costume  being  surmounted  with  its  appropriate  pict- 
ure. Here,  during  a  period  of  six  or  eight  weeks,  the  members  come 
in  regular  detail  to  be  fitted  with  their  dresses  by  a  corps  of  tailors, 
armorers  and  milliners  in  constant  attendance  for  that  purpose. 

This  task  completed  to  perfect  satisfaction,  each  costume  is 
placed  in  one  of  a  hundred  boxes,  duly  numbered  with  the  cast  num- 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS         101 

ber,  which  is  locked  up  and  laid  aside  in  waiting  for  the  eventful  night. 
Meanwhile  the  Float  Committee,  with  the  dupli2ate  set  of  designs, 
has  'been  engaged  for  weeks  at  some  out  of  the  way  place,  generally 
the  yard  of  a  coiton  press,  building  up,  with  the  aid  of  carpenters, 
painters,  carvers,  gilders  and  papier-mache  makers,  the  wonderful 
structures  upon  which  the  figures  are  to  pose  during  the  street  pro- 
cession. Another  committee  is  at  work  preparing  for  the  ball,  which 
takes  place  at  the  Opera  House,  and  is  generally  preceded  by  three 
tableaux,  the  last  embracing  all  the  characters,  the  large  and  elaborate 
designs  for  which  have  consumed  most  of  the  artist's  leisure  time  up 
to  the  holidays. 

As  the  eventful  day,  or  rather  night,  approaches  nearer,  everybody 
is  at  work — some  preparing  the  lights  for  the  procession,  some  en- 
gaging horses,  others  drilling  the  torch  bearers,  who  are  forced  to 
discharge  their  duties  with  military  precision;  others  arranging  mat- 
ters with  the  authorities,  so  that  the  streets  wall  be  in  order  and  all 
obstructions  removed — all  this  being  accomplished  with  such  thorough 
system  and  secrecy  that  not  until  the  display  is  actually  upon  the 
street,  are  the  public  aware  of  either  its  subject  or  where  it  will  first 
appear. 

A  few  days  prior  to  the  great  event  the  boxes  containing  the  cos- 
tumes and  other  properties  are  moved  at  dead  of  night  to  some  building, 
in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  yards  where  the  floats  have  been  pre- 
pared. The  front  of  this  building,  generally  a  warehouse,  is  kept 
closed  and  the  windows  darkened.  Temporary  entrances  are  impro- 
vised by  cutting  through  the  walls  into  adjoining  houses,  sd  that  it 
can  be  reached  from  two  or  three  different  streets  by  members  of  the 
association,  who  alone  are  in  the  secret. 

The  processions  usually  move  about  9  o'clock  at  night,  but  as  early 
as  2  p.  m.,  upon  the  appointed  day,  the  members  commence  straggling 
into  the  Den,  all  in  full  evening  dress.  This  they  remove  and  deposit 
in  their  numbered  boxes  in  place  of  the  costume  in  w^hich  they  array 
themselves.  About  7  o'clock  in  the  evening,  when  all  are  dressed,  the 
roll  is  called;  the  characters  (all  masked)  take  their  places  in  line, 
and  a  final  inspection  takes  place. 


102  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

About  this  time  a  squad  of  police  arrives  upon  the  scene,  and  after 


3 


clearing  the  street  in  front  of  the  building,  cordon  all  the  cross  streets 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS         103 

for  four  or  five  squares.  Into  the  left  of  this  reserve  space  shortly  file 
the  torch-bearers  under  guidance  of  officers,  who  silently  take  up  the 
places  along  the  curbs  for  the  entire  distance.  In  a  few  moments  the 
floats  follow  and  drive  in  regular  order  up  to  the  door  of  the  ware- 
house. When  the  first  arrives  the  hitherto  sealed  doors  are  thrown 
open,  and  a  long  bridge  is  run  out  over  the  sidewalk.  As  the  captain 
calls  the  numbers  each  man  steps  out  and  takes  his  appointed  place 
upon  the  fioats,  which  are  driven  off  expeditiously  until  all  are  in  line. 
The  bands  are  then  marched  to  position,  and  everything  is  in  order  in 
a  remarkably  short  space  of  time. 

The  proceedings,  so  far,  have  heen  conducted  in  utter  darkness.. 
The  captain  then  rides  rapidly  along  the  lines,  and,  finding  everything. 
in  order,  gives  an  appointed  signal.  In  a  moment  all  the  torches  flash 
out  into  a  blazing  parallogram  of  light,  securely  inclosing  the  proces- 
sion, and  guarded  outside  at  regular  intervals  by  the  police,  who  have 
quietly  taken  up  position. 

The  procession  thus  formed  marches  rapidly  until  it  reaches  the 
nearest  prominent  thoroughfare,  when  the  bands' strike  up,  the  bombs 
explode,  the  rockets  fly,  and  port  fires  of  every  color  blaze  brilliantly 
along  the  line,  over  which  hangs  a  heavy  cloud  of  smoke,  reflecting 
the  many-hued  tints  of  a  monstrous  fantastically  illuminated  canopy, 
which  lends  an  indescribable  weirdness  to  the  unnatural,  yet  artistic 
scene. 

After  traversing  the  route  appointed,  which  is  generally  short  and 
hemmed  in  by  throngs  of  admiring  and  wonder-stricken  people,  the 
floats  flnally  arrive  at  the  stage-door  of  the  Opera  House,  where  they 
unload  their  living  freight,  and  drive  rapidly  away  in  the  darkness. 

Meanwhile  the  boxes  containing  the  clothing  of  the  members  have 
been  taken  by  express  wagons  to  the  Opera  House,  and  are  all  arranged 
in  order  in  the  dressing  rooms. 

The  tableaux  generally  occupy  the  time  up  to  11  o'clock,  after  which 
the  characters  are  permitted  to  mingle  with  the  guests  upon  the  dancing 
floor,  under  no  restrictions  save  that  of  keeping  their  individuality 
unrevealed. 

Precisely  at  12  o'clock  the  captain's  shrill  w^histle  sounds,  and 
from  that  moment  they  gradually  disappear,  until  long  before  the  next 


104 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


hour  strikes  every  one  has  vanished  and  the  members  are  mingling 
unnoticed  among  the  guests,  save  where  they  are  occasionally  found 
explaining  their  absence  for  the  day  to  unsuspecting  wives  or  daught- 
ers, with  the  most  unconscionatle  excuses,  and — not  to  put  too  fine  a 
point  up  it — lies. 


They  have  merely  slipped  into  the  dressing  rooms,  exchanging 
their  costumes  for  ordinary  everyday  dress,  and  long  before  the  ball 
closes  in  the  wee  sma'  hours  the  express  wagons  have  carried  the  entire 
paraphernalia  back  to  the  den  and  packed  it  away  securely.  When  the 
actor  gets  up  in  the  morning  it  is  all  over,  as  fleeting  and  illusive  as 
the  dreams  from  whi:h  he  wakes. 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS 


105 


WHERE  THE   DEAD  SLEEP. 

The  day  of  All  Saints,  Hallowmas  or  All  Hallows  has  from  very- 
early  times  been  celebrated  as  a  festival  by  the  Church.  In  pagan 
times,  before  the  Christian  era,  the  people  of  various  nations,  particu- 
larly those  of  the  Celtic  race,  were  accustomed  to  celebrate  the  1st 
of  May,  when  the  earth  was  crowned  with  flowers,  and  the  1st  of 
November,  when  the  fall  of  the  leaf  hearalded  the  death  of  nature. 


Entr?nce  to  Metairie  Cerretery. 


The  Church,  wisely  choosing  rather  to  adopt  and  utilize  these  popular 
festivals  than  to  destroy  them,  incorporated  them  into  the  calendar. 

The  death  of  the  flowers  and  the  approaching  dissolution  of  nature 
as  represented  in  the  vegetable  kingdom,  naturally  suggests  to  a 
poetical  fancy  the  death  of  friends  and  loved  ones,  and  so  the  1st  of 
November  became  a  day  w^hen  the  dead  were  remembered  and  their 
tombs  adorned  with  the  floral  offerings  of  the  living. 


106  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

The  cemeteries  of  New  Orleans  are  in  many  respects  different  from 
those  of  most  other  countries  and  cities.  Built  in  a  marsh,  the  city 
has  neither  cellars  for  the  houses  of  the  living  nor  graves  for  the 
dead.  For  both,  habitations  must  be  built  above  the  ground,  and  side 
by  side  with  the  city  of  the  living  is  the  city  of  the  dead.  In  fact, 
the  older  cemeteries,  such  as  the  St.  Louis,  Girod,  Lafaj^ette  and 
others,  which  were  once  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  are  now  in  the 
heart  of  the  populous  part  of  the  city,  and  every  consideration  of 
public  sanitation  demands  that  they  be  closed  against  further  inter- 
ments. 

The  old  cemeteries  of  New  Orleans  are  rich  in  engraved  annals 
which  include  nearly  all  the  names  identified  with  the  founding  and 
growth  of  the  city.  Inscriptions  of  the  French,  Spanish  and  English 
tongues  show  the  successive  nationalities  that  have  dominated  this 
ancient  municipality,  while  the  Latin  epitaph  marks  the  last  resting 
place  of  the  priest  or  prelate,  respresenting  the  Church  which  belonged 
to  every  age  and  to  which  all  nationalities  were  as  one,  since  people 
of  all  races  were  its  children. 

The  weather  is  always  bright,  crisp  and  delightful.  On  All  Saints' 
day  that  is  proverbial,  and  a  rainy  November  1st  is  almost  unknown. 

By  act  of  Congress  the  entire  North  has  adopted  one  of  the  most 
poetic  traditions  of  this  French  city.  This  flower  town,  on  the  first 
day  of  November,  has  from  time  immemorial,  closed  all  her  places 
of  toil  or  trade  and  gone  forth  by  thousands  and  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands with  baskets  of  flowers  to  decorate  the  graves  of  its  dead.  There 
are  flowers  in  the  yards  in  New  Orleans  in  November,  flowers  in  the 
fields,  on  the  walls  and  in  the  hedges,  v/ild  and  tame;  flowers  of  all 
colors  and  all  kinds.  And  on  this  particular  day  it  is  as  if  all  these 
flowers,  gathered  in  the  arms  of  a  hundred  thousand  pretty  children, 
had  set  out  to  decorate  the  graves  of  the  cherished  dead.  Nearly  every 
street  in  New  Orleans  is  a  living,  moving  mass  of  fragrant  flowers  and 
beautiful  children.  And  all  this  is  sincere.  No  idle  sentimentality 
about  it;  but  each  one  who  bears  flowers  has  some  memory  of  cher- 
ished kindred  to  hold  sacred  and  beautify  with  flowers,  as  has  been 
the   custom  here  for  generations   out  of   mind. 

A  vast,  flat  field,  with  trees  here  and  there,  some  stately  and  vener- 
able oaks  with  moss  sweeping  almost  to  the  ground;  a  field  of  tombs, 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS         107 

with  lanes  and  avenues,  a  painful  monotony  of  rounded  sepulchres 
that  constantly  reminded  one  of  the  white  covered  wagons  in  a  great 
camp,  for  the  dead  are  buried  above  ground  here,  laid  in  tiers  inside 
these  great  white  wagon  covers  that  dot  the  vast  level  field  of  green 
grass  and  mossy  oaks  and  orange  trees.  The  floral  offerings  are  mostly 
immortelles  wrought  into  anchors,  harps,  crosses  and  crowns,  and  other 
emblematical  figures.  A  very  pretty  design  represents  a  sickle  em- 
bracing a  sheaf  of  wheat  which  it  has  cut  down.  Of  fresh  flowers, 
white  chrysanthemums  are  used  in  great  numbers,  and  with  beautiful 
effect.  The  large  trumpet  flowers  of  the  white  dotura  are  also  seen 
in  numbers.  ^  ^'W. 

A  singularly  pretty  sight  as  you  enter  this  home  of  the  dead  is 
that  of  a  heavily  laden  orange  tree  growing  close  up  to  and  over 
one  of  these  white  and  monotonous  tombs.  The  apples  of  gold  in 
the  fervidly  green  foliage,  and  there,  this  gold  and  green,  this  life 
against  death,  this  green  and  gold  dashed  against  the  cold,  white  tomb, 
making  a  marked  and  a  remarkable  picture. 

At  each  of  the  many  gates  of  the  very  many  graveyards  of  New 
Orleans  on  All  Saints'  Day  sits  a  silent  nun,  or  sister  of  charity,  in 
her  snowy  habit  of  purity,  with  little  orphans  at  her  side.  These 
are  her  flowers;  their  fathers,  mothers,  are  up  the  avenue,  further  on, 
resting  with  the  dead.  A  little  plate  sits  by,  and  each  person  as  he 
enters  the  cemetery  drops  something  into  it. 

The  Firemen's  Cemtery  at  Metairie  Ridge  is  full  of  interest.  It 
has  a  num.ber  of  fine  tombs  belonging  to  various  fire  companies.  They 
were  splendidly  decorated  and  were  the  centers  of  great  attraction 
for  visitors. 

On  the  main  aisle  is  the  column  that  commemorates  John  T.  Mon- 
roe, the  war  Mayor  of  the  city. 

Maunsel  White,  the  merchant,  soldier  and  patriot,  sleeps  there.  He 
lives  in  the  hearts  of  many  and  is  immortalized  among  epicures  by 
the  celebrated  sauce  he  invented,  which  to-day  is  found  on  many  a 
dinner  table. 

Irad  Ferry,  the  heroic  fireman,  who  lost  his  life  in  saving  that  of 
a  child,  is  celebrated  by  a  splendid  marble  column.  He  died  January 
4,  1837,  while  rescuing  a  little  one  from  a  burning  building. 

The  Bakers'  Society  tomb  is  also  in  that  cemetery. 


108 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


In  Metarie  Cemetery,  which  marks  where  the  famous  old  Metarie 
race-course  once  was,  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  has  a  tomb  sur- 
mounted by  a  column  bearing  a  statue  of  Stonewall  Jackson,  and  the 
Washington  Artillery  monument  is  crowned  by  a  statue  of  their  old 
commander,  Colonel  J.  B.  Walton. 

Just  as  the  gate  is  entered  the  new  tomb  of  the  Army  of  Tennessee 
is  seen.  It  is  a  Gothic  vault  covered  with  a  green,  grassy  mound.  In- 
side are  receptacles  for  forty-eight  bodies.  The  whole  is  of  solid 
masonry,  finished  in  marble.     It  is  to  be  surmounted  by  a  equestrian 


Albert  Sidney  Johnson  Monument  — Metarie   Cemetery 


statue  in  bronze  of  General  Albert  Sidney  Johnston,  the  statue  to  be 
executed  by  Alexander  Doyle,  the  scultor. 

On  a  block  of  stone  near  the  entrance  is  to  stand  in  marble  an 
orderly  sergeant  "calling  the  roll,"  executed  by  Doyle.  Inside  the 
vault,  marble  tablets  bear  the  names  of  the  battles  of  the  association. 

The  entrance  of  the  vault  is  surmounted  by  a  trophy  of  arms  and 
flags,  such  as  appears  on  the  badges  of  the  association.  It  was  de- 
signed by  Perelli,  the  New  Orleans  sculptor. 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS         109 

In  Greenwood,  the  societies  of  the  Swis,,  of  the  Typographers,  in- 
augurated in  1855,  and  of  the  Association  of  Alsace  and  Lorraine,  in 
1874,  are  conspicuous;  but  the  beautiful  and  artistic  monument  dedi- 
cated to  the  Confederate  dead,  under  which  sleep  near  five  hundred 
soldiers  of  the  Lost  Cause,  and  over  which  a  marble  sentinel  ever 
keeps  watch,  is  one  of  the  finest  tombs  in  the  country. 

In  the  Old  St.  Louis  No.  1,  the  oldest  of  the  cemeteries,  are  seen 
almost  in  juxtaposition  the  tombs  of  Benedics  Van  Pradelles,  an  officer 
of  the  Revolution  with  Lafayette,  who  died  in  1808,  and  of  Paul  Mor- 
phy,  the  world's  greatest  chess  player,  who  died  in  June,  1884. 

In  this  cemetery  many  of  the  oldest  tombs  are  so  dilapidated  that 
they  can  not  be  identified,  and  some  are  missing  altogether. 

In  St.  Louis  No.  2,  the  various  historic  stratifications  appear  in 
strong  contrast,  but  closely  associated.  The  fine  tomb  of  General 
J.  B.  Plauche,  the  friend  of  General  Jackson,  the  Commander  of  the 
Orleans  Batalion  in  the  v/ar  of  1812-14,  and  one  of  the  defenders  of 
Kew  Orleans  in  the  famous  victory  over  the  British,  tells  of  the  early 
history  of  the  city.  The  veteran  was  subsequently  Lieutenant-Governor 
of  the  State. 

Dominique  You,  one  of  Lafitte's  pirates,  another  defender  of  New 
Orleans  in  that  same  memorable  battle,  sleeps  in  a  plain  brick  tomb 
not  far  off.  The  tablet  bears  no  date,  but  discloses  the  words:  "The 
New  Bayard,  the  intrepid  warrior  and  patriot."  His  was  a  history  full 
of  romance  and  strange  adventure. 

Alexander  Milne,  the  philanthropist,  born  in  Scotland,  but  long  a 
resident  of  this  city,  sleeps  under  a  massive  granite  pillar.  He  died 
at  the  age  of  94  in  1838,  and  left  a  large  fortune  to  endow  the  Milne 
Asylum  for  orphan  boys  in  New  Orleans. 

Francis  Xavier  Martin,  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
State,  and  author  of  a  history  of  Louisiana,  is  represented  by  a  granite 
column.    He  graced  the  Supreme  bench  as  early  as  1815. 

Pierre  Soule,  Senator  of  the  United  States,  jurist,  diplomat  and 
orator,  sleeps  there.  A  native  of  France,  he  attained  the  highest  dis- 
tinction in  Louisiana,  and  he  rests  in  the  bosom  of  his  adopted  country. 

On  all  hands  are  the  tombs  of  men  who  were  identified  with  the 
history  of  the  city  from  the  earliest  times  to  the  present,  and  to  men- 
tion their  names  would  be  to  fill  a  volume.     A  relic  of  the  days  of 


no 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


reconstruction  is  the  tomb  of  Oscar  J.  Dunn,  colored,  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor of  the  State  under  Warmoth. 

Of   society  tombs,  those  of  the  Iberian    Society,   erected  in  1848; 
the  Spanish  Cazadores,  erected  in  1836,  are  most  distinguished. 


Chinese  Funeral  in  St    Louis  Cemetery 


St.  Louis  No.  3,  at  Bayou  Ridge,  contains  many  interesting  tombs. 
Colonel  Charles  D.  Dreux,  one  of  the  first  Southerners  to  give  his  life 
for  his  country,  sleeps  there.     He  fell  at  Bethel,  Va.,  July  5,  1861. 

A  tomb,  bearing  an  inscription  which  tells  that  James  Gallier,  archi- 
tect, and  his  wife,  Marie,  were  lost  at  sea  October  31,  1866,  when  the 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS         111 

steamship  Evening  Star  foundered  with  all  on  board,  in  a  hurricane 
off  the  coast  of  Florida,  brings  up  a  thrill  of  sympathetic  horror  as  the 
dreadful  event  is  recalled. 

G'irod  Cemetery  is  old  and  dilapidated.  It  does  not  bear  the  marks 
of  constant  attention  seen  elsewhere,  but  it  had  many  visitors,  and  its 
tombs  are  interesting.  Prominent  is  the  monument  to  Colonel  W.  W. 
S.  Bliss,  a  son-in-law  of  General  Taylbr,  and  chief  of  staff  of  the  army 
commanded  by  him  in  the  Mexican  war.  He  survived  all  its  battles 
and  died  peacefully.  The  monument  was  built  by  his  friends  of  West 
Point. 

The  monument  of  the  Marine  Association  and  the  splendid  temple 
of  the  New  Lusitanos  are  also  prominent.  Many  colored  societies  have 
large  and  well  constructed  receptacles  for  the  dead,  but  an  item  of 
more  than  ordinary  interest  is  recorded  on  a  marble  tablet  of  a  slave, 
an  old  family  servant.  It  reads  as  follows:  "Mammy,  aged  84,  a 
faithful  servant.  She  lived  and  died  a  Christian."  Nothing  could  be 
more  simple,  nothing  more  touching.  It  was  a  gleam  of  light  from 
the  days  of  slavery,  showing  that  the  ties  of  a  common  humanity 
were  not  destroyed  by  that  institution. 

Lafayette  Cemetery  contains  many  fine  and  historic  tombs. 

Henry  W.  Allen,  the  war  Governor  of  Louisiana,  sleeps  here  be- 
neath a  lofty  column.  General  John  B.  Hood  and  General  Harry  T. 
Hays,  distinguished  figures  on  the  Southern  side  in  the  Civil  War, 
are  there  also,  besides  many  lesser  officers  and  soldiers. 

S.  J.  Peters,  who  died  in  1855,  rests  there. 

Lafayette  No.  2  is  a  new  cemetery;  but  prominent  among  its  monu- 
ments are  those  of  the  French  Society  of  Jefferson,  built  in  1872,  and 
that  of  the  Butchers'  Association,  built  in  1868.  The  last-named  is  very 
large,  containing  room  for  eighty  corpses.  It  was  much  visited  by 
ladies. 

The  Valence  Street  Cemetery,  better  known  as  the  City  Cemetery 
of  Jefferson  City,  is  situated  at  the  far  end  of  Valence  street. 

St.  Vincent  No.  1  is  comparatively  a  new  cemetery,  and  one  of  the 
most  beautifully  arranged  in  the  city.  On  entering  the  main  gate 
are  seen  on  both  sides  of  the  center  avenue  handsome  and  well-kept 
tombs,  showing  that  those  who  sleep  within  their  portals  are  well 
remembered. 


112  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

There  are  four  cemeteries  in  Algiers — St.  Bartholomew,  St.  Mary, 
Olivier  and  the  Firemen's  Charitable  Association  of  the  Fifth  District. 
All  Saints'  Day  is  always  observed  in  Algiers,  and  flowers  and  wreaths 
are  profusely  strewn  over  the  graves  of  the  dear  departed. 

St.  Bartholomew  Cemetery  occupies  the  square  bounded  by  De 
Armas,  Verret,  Lapeyrouse  and  Franklin  streets,  and  is  the  oldest 
cemetery  in  Algiers,  having  been  established  in  1849.  St.  Mary's, 
on  the  opposite  side  of  De  Armas  street,  was  opened  recently  as  a  re- 
ceptacle on  account  of  the  overcrowded  condition  of  St.  Bratholomew 
Cemetery. 

At  the  corner  of  Market  and  Verret  streets  is  situated  the  Olivier 
Cemetery,  established  and  used  by  the  wealthy  and  numerous  family 
of  that  name  and  their  descendants.  It  covers  nearly  a  square  of 
ground,  surrounded  by  a  high  plank  fence,  which  is  always  kept  in 
excellent  repair  and  well  whitewashed.  On  the  grounds  there  has  been 
a  house  built  by  Mr.  Olivier  and  his  brother,  in  which  reside  the 
keepers  of  the  cemetery.  A  small  chapel  adjoins,  the  altar  of  which 
is  always  festooned  with  flowers,  and  on  either  side  are  the  portraits 
of  members  of  the  family. 

The  Firemen's  burying  ground  is  on  Webster  avenue.  It  was  pur- 
chased but  a  few  years  ago,  and  as  yet  contains  only  a  few  tombs. 

In  the  rear  of  the  town  of  Gouldsboro,  which  was  formerly  called 
McDoncghville,  in  a  Peld  near  the  Morgan  Railroad  track,  is  an 
empty  sarcophagus,  in  which  once  rested  the  remains  of  the  philan- 
thropist .John  McDonogh.  It  is  built  of  marble,  and  is  about  four  feet 
high,  ten  feet  long  and  six  feet  wide,  and  is  in  a  good  state  of  preserva- 
tion, although  brown  with  age.  The  remains  were  removed  to  Balti- 
more some  years  since,  and  his  tomb  in  that  city  is  said  to  be  an- 
nually decorated  by  the  school  children  in  grateful  remembrance  for 
the  benefits  derived  from  the  wealth  he  bequeathed  for  educational 
purposes. 

There  are  other  graves  in  the  field  where  once  did  rest  the  remains 
of  McDonogh.     Some  are  old  and  dilapidated,  and  some  well  kept. 

In  Gretna  there  is  the  cemetery  of  William  Tell  Hook  and  Ladder 
Company.  This  cemetery  was  first  made  a  resting  place  for  the  dead 
in  1858,  and  each  year  the  graves  are  decorated  with  care. 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS         113 

The  Bisbee  gravej^ard,  as  it  was  once  known,  is  the  oldest  in  Gretna, 
and  was  named  out  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  Judge  D.  W.  F.  Bisbee, 
who  is  buried  there.  It  has  recently  been  purchased  by  the  Catholics, 
and  called  after  St.  Joseph. 

The  National  Cemetery  at  Chalmette  is  in  charge  of  the  Quarter- 
master's Department. 

This  beautiful  resting  place  of  the  dead  is  situated  on  the  left  bank 
of  the  Mississippi  River,  a  little  over  one  mile  below  the  Jackson 
Barracks.  The  ground  was  donated  by  the  city  in  1865,  and  was  laid 
out  by  Captain  Barnard. 

There  are  12,192  graves — 6,913  of  these  are  classed  as  "Known." 
and  5,279  are  marked  as  "Unknown." 


MONUMENTS. 


The  Mcnuments  and  Statues   In  and  Around   New  Orleans. 


The  m.onuments  of  New  Orleans  are  numerous  and  handsome. 
While  the  founder  of  the  city  is  without  one,  if  we  may  expect  a 
has  relief  in  the  central  room  of  the  Customhouse;  while,  indeed,  not 
one  of  the  many  of  the  native  Creoles  who  have  obtained  high  positions 
in  the  world  of  literature  and  art  has  received  recognition,  the  city 
has  raised  memorials  to  more  than  a  dozen  persons. 

Another  case  of  neglect,  fully  as  great  as  that  shown  Bienville, 
is  the  decayed  condition  of  the  monument  erected  in  honor  of  the 
battle  of  New  Orleans. 

The  .Jackson  monument,  as  this  is  called,  on  the  plains  of  Chal- 
mette, named  in  honor  of  the  old  bachelor  planter  who  owned  the 
grounds — Chalmette — is  situated  about  a  mile  below  the  slaughter- 
house. You  reach  it  via  the  Levee  &  Barracks  cars  and  walk  along 
the  levee. 


114 


THE  CREOLE  TOURISTS  GUIDE 


On  the  other*  hand,  New  Orleans  can  claim  some  credit  for  raising 
the  only  monument  to  a  woman  ever  erected  in  the  United  States. 
In  a  little  grassy  plot  of  ground  at  the  intersection  of  Camp  and 
Prytania  streets,  stands  the  white  marble  figure  of  a  woman,  inscribed 
with  the  simple  name,  "Margaret."  Seated  in  a  chair  with  a  shawl 
around  her  shoulders  and  one  arm  thrown  around  the  neck  of  a  child, 
is    the    figure    of    the    deceased    Margaret    Haughery,     "the     orphans' 


Jackson  Statue  and  St.  Louis  Cathedral 


friend."  The  location  is  well  selected,  for  it  faces  the  Female  Orphan 
Asylum,  toward  the  establishment  of  which  Margaret  did  so  much. 
The  woman  whom  it  is  intended  to  honor,  was  unable  to  either  read 
or  write,  but  by  her  energy  acquired  a  considerable  fortune,  all  the 
income  from  which  was  given  to  the  various  orphan  asylums  of  New 
Orleans,  without  regard  to  sect;  and  at  her  death  a  few  years  ago, 
the  whole  of  her  fortune  was  bequeathed  for  their  support. 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS         115 

Clay  statue,  once  on  Canal  street  where  Royal  and  St.  Charles 
meet,  is  now  in  Lafayette  Square.  The  corner-stone  was  laid  by  the 
Clay  Statue  Association  on  April  12,  1856.  The  inauguration,  which 
called  out  one  of  the  grandest  and  largest  public  gatherings  that  ever 
took  place  in  New  Orleans,  was  on  the  12th  of  April,  1860.  On  that 
occasion  Colonel  J.  B.  Walton  acted  as  Grand  Marshal  and  Colonel 
J.  O.  Nixon  as  First  Assistant-Marshal.  Joel  T.  Hart,  of  Kentucky, 
the  artist  who  gave  form  and  proportions  to  the  Clay  statue,  was  pres- 
ent at  the  inauguration,  and  Wm.  H.  Hunt,  Esq.,  was  the  orator  of 
the  day. 

The  statue  itself  is  a  perfect  likeness  of  the  illustrious  statesman. 
Its  height  is  about  fifteen  feet.  This,  with  the  foundation  circle,  steps 
and  pedestal,  makes  it  stand  some  forty  feet  high. 

The  marble  statue  of  Franklin,  once  in  the  center  of  Lafayette 
Square  where  now  stands  Clay  statue,  and  then  removed  to  Camp 
street,  and  at  present  is  at  the  Main  Public  Library  Building,  is  con- 
nected with  the  story  of  the  great  American  sculptor,  Hiram  Powers, 
the  author  of  the  "Greek  Slave."  When  Powers  first  went  to  Italy 
to  study  art,  a  number  of  New  Orleans  people,  in  order  to  assist  him, 
ordered  from  him  a  statue  of  Benjamin,  for  which  they  paid  five 
thousand  dollars  in  advance;  while  the  State  of  Louisiana  gave  him 
fifteen  thousand  dollars  for  a  statue  of  Washington.  This  was  in  1844, 
before  Powers  had  won  the  reputation  he  afterwards  enjoyed.  The 
statue,  however,  was  not  completed,  and,  the  war  intervening,  the 
original  gift  to  Powers  was  forgotten  until  1869,  when  the  matter  was 
brought  up  again.  Powers  then  agreed  to  complete  the  statue,  which 
was  done  in  1871,  and  it  was  given  to  the  city  upon  the  condition  that 
a  granite  base  should  be  erected.  A  series  of  contretemps  followed. 
The  statue  arrived,  but  by  some  mistake  was  advertised  for  sale; 
the  granite  for  the  pedestal  was  shipped  from  Boston,  but  lost  at  sea; 
a  second  lot  was  never  heard  of,  and  it  was  not  until  1873  that  the 
statue  was  finally  erected  on  its  present  location. 

The  statue  of  General  Robert  E.  Lee,  in  Lee  Circle,  at  the  inter- 
section of  St.  Charles  avenue  and  Delord  street,  was  unveiled  during 
the  carnival  of  1883,  in  the  presence  of  an  immense  multitude,  and 
while  a  severe  rain  and  wind  storm  was  raging.  The  pillar,  which  is 
100  feet  high,  is  hollow,  and  a  stairway  in  the  center  gives  access  to 


116  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

a  small  chamber  at  the  top  immediately  under  the  statue,  from  which 


V 
V 

E 
O 


(0 


a  view  of  the  city  can  be  obtained.    The  statue  is  a  colossal  of  bronze 
representing  Lee  with  folded  arms  surveying  the  scene  of  battle. 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS         117 

The  Jackson  monument,  in  Jackson  Square,  is  the  first  equestrian 
statue  ever  produced  representing  the  horse  in  the  act  of  rearing.  This 
peculiar  attitude  was  the  invention  of  Clark  Mills,  who  designed  the 
statue,  and  is  rendered  possible  by  making  the  fore  part  of  the  animal 
hollow,  while  the  remainder  is  solid. 

The  monument  was  erected  in  1851,  the  money  for  this  purpose 
being  raised  by  popular  subscription,  the  largest  contribution  coming 
from  Madame  Pontalba,  who  owned  the  rows  of  buildings  opposite, 
and  who  placed  the  square,  the  old  Place  d'Armes,  in  which  the  statue 
stands,  in  its  present  condition.  At  the  cemeteries  are  a  number  of 
statues  memorial  of  the  war,  which  have  been  described  in  a  previous 
chapter. 

McDonogh,  patron  of  our  public  schools,  is  remembered  by  a  monu- 
ment in  Lafayette  Square,  occupying  a  place  of  honor  facing  the  City 
Hall. 


PUBLIC   BUILDINGS. 


THE   COTTON  EXCHANGE. 


The  Cotton  Exchange,  at  the  corner  of  Carondelet  and  Gravier 
streets,  is  considered  by  many  the  handsomest  and  most  graceful 
building  in  the  city.  The  building  is  of  the  ornate  Italian  style  of 
architecture,  elaborately  carved  and  ornamented. 

The  Exchange  room  proper  is  situated  on  the  ground  floor  of  the 
building,  and  extends  from  Carondelet  street  back  to  Varieties  alley, 
a  distance  of  100  feet,  with  a  width  of  50  feet.  There  is,  perhaps,  no 
room  on  this  side  the  Atlantic  on  the  embellishment  of  which  so  much 
time  and  pains  have  been  expended. 

On  first  entering  the  visitor  is  surprised  at  the  wealth  of  decora- 
tion, and  the  eye  is  for  the  moment  dazed  with  elaborate  design  and 
prodigality  of  fresco.  The  interior  is  of  the  Renaissance  style  through- 
out, and  is  one  of  the  most  gorgeous  illustrations  of  Lienard's  school. 


118  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

Entering  from  Carondelet  street,  the  ceiling  is  ornamented  witli 
three  medallions  of  most  delicate  tracery.  The  colors  are  of  the  rarest 
shades,  from  vermillion  to  pale  lilac,  and  the  figures  wrought  in  these 
panels  are  exquisite. 

Surrounding  a  beautiful  center-piece — gold,  crimson  and  lilac — are 
four  paintings,  representing  De  Soto's  first  view  of  the  Mississippi, 
a  view  of  the  jetties  at  South  Pass,  with  steamers  passing  up,  La  Salle 
taking  possession  of  Louisiana,  and  a  cotton  field  with  the  cotton 
ready  for  picking. 

To  describe  the  ornamentation  of  the  walls  would  be  difficult. 
Panels  with  griffins'  heads  and  ornate  borders;  rich  friezes  and  rosettes 
with  gold  predominating;  fruit  and  fiowers,  wreaths  and  festoons, 
everywhere  meet  the  dazzled  eye. 

Supporting  the  ceiling  four  double  columns,  resting  on  pedestals, 
rise  in  beautiful  symmetry  in  the  perfection  of  the  Renaissance  style. 
The  lower  third  of  the  columns  is  adorned  with  rosettes  of  a  rich 
pattern,  and  give  to  these  shafts  an  Indian  type,  although  the  style 
is    French. 

Near  the  entrance  on  Varieties  alley  is,  perhaps,  the  chef  d'oeuvre 
of  art  in  the  building.  It  is  a  young  Triton  blowing  a  conch  shell, 
and  stands  in  the  center  of  the  fountain's  bowl.  The  figure  is  of  a 
bronze  color,  and  the  attitude  is  full  of  life. 

Around  the  walls  there  are  set  in  large  slabs  of  slate,  on  which 
the  quotations  of  the  market  and  movements  of  cotton  will  be  noted. 
These  slabs  are  of  unusual  size,  and  were  quarried  for  the  Exchange. 

As  a  recess  from  the  large  Exchange  room,  is  the  space  devoted 
to  the  officers  of  the  institution.  Here  all  that  taste  could  suggest 
has  been  done  to  make  it  par  excellence  the  model  business  office  of 
the  city.  An  artistic  rail  and  screen  separates  it  from  the  main  room, 
and  the  work  is  handsomely  finished  in  oil. 

The  building  is  four  stories  high,  and  an  elevator  near  the  rear 
entrance  transports  passengers  to  the  upper  story,  from  which  a  stair- 
way of  easy  ascent  leads  to  the  roof.  This  is  inclosed  by  a  handsome 
iron  railing,  so  that  parties  can  walk  around  with  perfect  safety. 
From  this  lofty  altitude  a  view  of  the  city  and  its  surroundings  can 
be  had,  scarcely  to  be  obtained  from  any  accessible  building  in  the 
city.      In   clear   weather  Lake   Pontchartrain   can   be   distinctly   seen. 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS         119 

and  the  windings  of  the  Mississippi  for  miles,  both  above  and  below 
the  city.  On  this  roof  are  hung  the  large  bells,  which  strike  both  quar- 
ters and  hours. 


THE  SUGAR  EXCHANGE. 


The  Sugar  Exchange  Hall  proper  is  of  magnificent  proportions,  be- 
ing 60x110  feet  and  54  feet  high  from  floor  to  skylight.  It  is  lit  on 
three  sides  by  plate-glass  windows,  13x24  feet,  and  a  skylight  23  feet 
square.  The  wing  building  is  120x33  feet,  and  is  two  stories  high. 
On  the  first  fioor  there  is  a  public  vestibule,  telegraph  oflices,  offices 
of  the  Exchange,  stair-hall,  lavatory  and  water  closets  and  a  board 
room.  On  the  second  floor  a  library,  12x19,  reading  room  and  museum, 
77x20,  lavatory,  etc.,  and  two  committee  rooms.  The  ventilation  is 
through  the  cornice  of  the  skylight,  and  the  acoustics  perfect.  The 
entrances  to  the  hall  are  covered  by  porches,  and  a  Schillinger  pave- 
ment has  been  laid  on  three  sides,  and  on  the  j^ard  in  the  rear  as  well. 

Great  taste  has  been  employed  by  the  architect  in  both  the  exterior 
and  interior  finish.  Freehand  ornamentation  has  been  judiciously 
applied  wherever  practicable.  Between  the  Exchange  and  the  sugar 
sheds  was  formerly  a  triangular  islet  of  city  property  used  as  a  general 
dumping  ground  for  worn-out  machinery,  lumber  and  trash.  This 
islet  the  Council  set  aside  for  a  public  park,  and  appointed  its  com- 
missioners from  the  members  of  the  Sugar  Exchange.  On  its  trees 
and  shrubs  have  been  planted,  the  surface  sodded  and  walks  laid 
out,  and  the  whole  surrounded  by  a  high  dressed  curb,  with  a  Schil- 
linger banquette  at  the  Bienville  street  side,  the  base  of  the  triangle. 


120  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

THE   CUSTOMHOUSE. 

Sixty  years  ago,  the  First  Municipality  of  New  Orleans  offered 
the  United  States  its  choice  of  several  squares,  to  be  conveyed  in 
fee  simple,  provided  a  Customhouse,  worthy  of  the  growing  commerce 
of  the  city,  would  be  erected  on  the  ground  chosen.  The  United  States 
accepted  the  proposition,  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  selected  the 
"Customhouse  Square"  as  the  most  eligible  of  those  offered,  and  in  a 
short  time  thereafter  the  plans  of  A.  T.  Wood  were  adopted,  November 
22,  1847,  and  the  work  commenced  October  23,  1848.  The  work  was 
carried  on  with  greater  or  less  expenditure,  according  to  the  means 
at  disposal,  till  the  war,  when,  for  a  time,  it  was  entirely  suspended. 
After  the  war  work  was  begun  again. 

In  the  center  of  the  Customhouse  is  the  finest  business  room  in  the 
world.  The  size  of  the  entire  room  is  125x95  feet;  the  height — from 
floor  to  glass  dome  or  ceiling — fifty-four  feet.  Fourteen  lofty  columns 
are  placed  so  as  to  give  the  central  part  of  the  room  a  space  of  45x65 
feet  for  the  use  of  the  general  public,  and  outside  of  that  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  officers  and  clerks.  The  columns  are  of  the 
Corinthian  order  with  Attic  bases;  the  lower  portion  of  the  shafts 
plain  and  polished;  the  capitals  varied  to  allow  designs  indicative  of 
the  purposes  of  the  room.  At  the  top  of  each  capital  is  a  basso- 
rilievo  of  Juno,  and  another  of  Mercury,  and  designs  of  cotton  and 
tobacco  plants.  These  are  so  arranged  that  each  faces  its  opposite 
on  every  column,  and  by  looking  at  four  capitals  from  any  position, 
all  the  designs  can  be  comprehended  at  a  glance.  The  floor  is  laid 
out,  in  pattern,  of  black  and  white  marble,  in  tiles,  each  two  feet 
square,  with  borders  in  black  marble  from  column  to  column.  Sixteen 
light  holes  are  cut  in  the  floor,  four  feet  six  inches  in  diameter,  floored 
with  glass  one  inch  thick,  cast  on  a  hammered  surface  to  break  the 
rays  of  light,  and  ground  to  a  smooth  surface,  presenting  the  appear- 
ance of  green  marble.  Each  plate  is  the  center  of  a  star,  handsomely 
inlaid  with  black  marble.  The  room  is  heated  by  steam,  the  steam 
coils  being  suspended  in  the  floor  from  the  arches,  and  shielded  by 
hexagon  pedestals  with  marble  tops.  In  this  hall  is  to  be  seen  a 
marble  figure  in  basso-rilievo  of  Bienville,  the  only  monument  of  its 
founder  the  city  possesses;  one  of  Jackson  and  of  some  others  con- 
nected with  the  history  of  New  Orleans. 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS         121 

THE  LOUISIANA  JOCKEY  CLUB. 

The  Louisiana  Jockey  Club  was  chartered  ]May  15,  1871,  for  the 
purpose  of  establishing  a  race-course  for  the  advancement  of  racing 
and  improving  the  breed  of  horses,  and  the  erection  or  the  purchase 
and  equipment  of  a  clubhouse  for  the  social  enjoyment  of  the  mem- 
bers. The  stock  of  the  association  was  fixed  at  $100,000  in  1,000 
shares.  By  agreement  with  the  Fair  Grounds  Association,  the  Club 
was  given  the  exclusive  use  of  the  race-course,  for  four  weeks  before 
and  during  each  spring  and  fall  meeting,  for  the  period  of  twenty 
years,  upon  condition  of  erecting  upon  the  grounds  a  Public  Stand 
of  the  value  of  $20,000,  which  is  to  revert  to  the  Association  at  the 
end  of  the  period  of  the  lease,  without  incumbrance. 

The  Club  bought  the  property  adjoining  the  Fair  Grounds,  which 
was  once  the  residence  of  Mr.  Luling,  for  $60,000.  It  has  a  front  of 
500  feet  on  Esplanade  street,  by  2,500  feet  deep,  with  an  area  of  nearly 
thirty  acres,  situated  on  the  Metarie  Ridge  and  exempt  from  over- 
flow. The  grounds  are  well  arranged  and  thickly  set  with  choice 
shrubbery.  The  family  mansion  has  been  converted  into  a  club  house. 
It  is  a  substantial  and  handsome  three-story  brick  edifice,  with  a 
gallery  extending  entirely  around  it  at  each  story.  The  lofty,  wide 
and  airy  rooms  are  employed  for  reception  and  dining  rooms,  parlors, 
library,  reading  and  billiard  rooms,  restaurants,  etc.,  all  very  hand- 
somely and  liberally  furnished,  most  of  the  oaken  furniture  being 
elaborately  carved  by  hand.  The  other  buildings  on  the  premises  are 
in  keeping  with  the  main  house,  consisting  of  bowling  alley,  pavillion, 
kitchen,  and  ten  costly  stables,  with  ample  room  for  a  hundred 
horses. 

The  flower  garden  contains  an  extensive  collection  of  indigenous 
and  exotic  plants  and  flowers,  comprising  all  the  rarer  varieties  to  be 
found  in  the  temperate  zone  or  within  the  tropics.  The  adjoining 
park  has  a  great  number  of  forest  trees  of  every  kind,  and  orchards 
of  orange,  peach  and  apple  trees,  and  grapevines,  all  bearing  plenti- 
fully in  their  proper  seasons.  In  the  center  of  the  park  is  a  lake  of 
pure  fresh  w^ater  surrounding  a  small  island.  Here  the  Club  gives 
during  the  summer  and  fall  its  famous  promenade  concerts,  where  are 
collected  each  night  several  thousand  of  the  leading  people  in  New 
Orleans. 


122 


THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 


^ 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS         123 


A  CHAPTER  ON  VOUDOUISM. 

St.  John's  eve  is  specially  devoted  to  the  worship  of  the  Voudous. 
It  is  on  that  night  that  they  congregate  at  some  secret  meeting  place 
on  Lake  Pantchartrain — changed  from  time  to  time — and  hold  their 
religious  dances  and  impious  ceremonies  of  worshipping  the  prince  of 
evil,  for,  in  their  theology,  the  devil  is  God,  and  it  is  to  him  they  pray. 
Voudouism  is  rapidly  dying  out,  even  among  the  negroes  of  Louisiana; 
but,  for  all  that,  a  negro  is  frightened  to  death  if  he  is  "hoodooed" 
and  with  reason.  The  secret  magic  of  the  Vondous  was  nothing  more 
than  an  acquaintance  with  a  number  of  subtle  vegetable  poisons, 
which  they  brought  with  them  from  Africa,  and  which  caused  their 
victims  to  fade  gradually  away  and  die  of  exhaustion. 

Every  St.  John's  eve  thousands  of  persons  visit  the  lake  ends  in 
the  hope  of  coming  upon  the  Voudous,  but  few  succeed  in  finding  them. 

On  St.  John's  eve,  last  year,  the  night  was  dark,  and  on  the  eastern 
sky  hung  a  black  cloud,  from  which  now  and  then  burst  flashes  of 
lightning,  which  lit  up  the  road,  the  bayou  and  the  surrounding  swamp 
with  a  lurid  glow,  in  fit  introduction  to  what  was  to  follow.  The  scene 
on  the  lake  coast  from  Spanish  Fort  to  Milneburg  was  one  which  can 
not  easily  be  forgotten.  All  along  the  shore,  at  intervals  scarcely 
more  than  300  yards,  groups  of  men  and  women  could  be  seen  stand- 
ing around  blazing  pine-knot  fires,  their  dark  copper-colored  faces 
weirdly  gilded  by  the  red  flames  and  their  black  forms  thus  illuminated 
appearing  gigantic  and  supernatural  against  the  opaque  background 
of  the  lake  and  sky  on  one  side  and  the  mystical  darkness  just  tinged 
with  starlight  of  the  seemingly  limitless  swamps  on  the  other.  Some 
of  the  men  were  stripped  to  the  waist,  and  all  were  gesticulating  with 
animation,  or  seemed  to  be  in  waiting  for  something.  Along  the  road 
at  various  intervals  were  negresses  standing  by  small  tables  where 
gumbo  and  coffee  were  dispensed. 

Between  Spanish  Fort  and  Milneburg  the  shore  was  crowded  with 
negroes,  who  seemed  to  be  enjoying  themselves  laughing,  talking  and 
romping  like  children,  but  the  music  which  came  from  the  shanty 
where  a  dance  had  evidently  been  started,  sounded  like  that  of  an 
ordinary  negro  ball. 


124  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

As  soon  as  the  purlius  of  Milneburg  were  left,  the  way  down  the 
lake  shore  toward  the  now  brilliant  bonfires  was  difficult,  for  in  the 
darkness  one  had  to  pick  his  steps.  Between  the  lake  on  the  one  side 
and  the  swamp  on  the  other  there  was  a  belt  of  land  not  more  than 
fifty  feet  across,  and  in  some  places  this  was  diminished  by  more  than 
half,  by  the  encroachment  of  Pontchartrain's  waves.  There  was  no 
roadway,  but  simply  a  devious  by-patch  which  wended  around  stumps 
and  mud  holes  in  a  most  irregular  manner. 

After  some  ten  minutes'  walk  there  came  to  the  ear  the  faintest 
sound  as  of  a  drum  beaten  rhythmatically,  and  on  listennig  a  chorus 
of  voices  could  be  heard. 

Behind  the  hundreds  of  small  watchfires  along  the  shore  twinkled 
like  stars  in  the  distance,  and  where  they  were  built  upon  little  points 
of  land  they  were  reflected  in  the  water  so  brightly  the  duplication 
added  a  peculiar  wierdness  to  the  scene. 

Pursuing  the  same  path  was  a  party  of  Creole  negroes,  the  men 
carrying  musical  instruments  and  the  women  laden  with  coffee  pots 
and  tin  buckets  of  gombo.  They  were  not  inclined  to  talk,  and  when 
asked  where  the  Voudou  dance  was  to  take  place  answered  that  they 
knew  nothing  about  it. 

Passing  around  a  little  willow  copse  that  grew  almost  in  the  lake 
there  opened  to  the  view  a  scene  Dore  would  have  delighted  to  paint. 
The  belt  of  land  here  was  about  100  feet  in  width,  and  in  the  middle  of 
this  little  plot  was  burning  a  huge  fire.  G'rouped  around  it  were  some 
thirty  or  forty  negroes,  the  rising  and  falling  of  the  firelight  giving  a 
grotesqueness  to  their  figures  that  was  as  curious  as  it  was  entertain- 
ing. Their  shadows  stretched  out  over  the  rushes  and  reeds  of  the 
swamps,  and  their  faces  brought  out  in  effect  looked  wild  enough 
to  satisfy  any  lover  of  the  wild  and  mysterious. 

Built  half  over  the  swamps  and  half  on  the  land  stood  a  small  hut, 
or,  to  give  it  all  its  pretensions,  a  house  of  two  rooms.  It  was  like 
most  of  the  fishermen's  cabins  seen  along  the  lake,  but  rather  more 
roomy. 

Through  the  open  window  there  came  quite  a  flood  of  light,  and  a 
song  was  heard  chanted,  it  seemed  by  some  eight  or  ten  voices. 

It  was  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  below  Milneburg,  and  the  place 
was  appropriately  selected,  for  certainly  no  more  dismal  and  dreary 


AND  SKETCH  BOOK  OF  NEW  ORLEANS         125 

spot  could  have  been  found.  Citywards  the  swamp,  with  its  funereal 
cypress,  stretched  in  gloomy  perspective,  while  in  front,  lapping  the 
rushes  and  stumps,  the  ripples  in  the  lake  came  in,  the  water  appear- 
ing almost  black  from  the  vegetable  matter  held  in  suspension. 

Near  the  fire  were  two  or  three  tables  laden  with  gombo  and  dishes 
of  rice,  while  on  the  embers  hissed  pots  of  coffee. 

When  the  group  near  them  was  approached  they  gave  evidence  of 
uneasiness  at  the  appearance  of  the  party,  there  being  no  white  per- 
sons present. 

A  few  words  in  Creole  patois  made  the  negroes  feel  more  at  ease, 
and  when  a  cup  of  coffee  was  purchased  they  ceased  to  look  suspi- 
ciously on  the  new  arrivals. 

The  music  in  the  house  began  with  renewed  vigor  at  this  time, 
and  there  was  by  general  consent  a  movement  thither.  It  was  nearly 
midnight. 

The  wide  gallery  on  the  front  was  soon  thronged,  and  it  was  no- 
ticed but  few  were  allowed  to  enter  the  large  room  which  formed  the 
eastern  side  of  the  building.  The  door  was  closed,  and  a  stout  young 
negress  guarded  it  on  the  inside. 

A  few  words  from  Chief  Bachemin  in  Creole  proved  an  open  sesame, 
and  the  door  was  opened  just  wide  enough  to  permit  the  party  to  enter 
one  at  a  time.  With  their  entrance  the  music  ceased  and  all  eyes  were 
turned  upon  the  new  comers. 

A  bright  mulatto  man  came  forward  and,  in  good  English,  said  that 
if  the  gentlemen  desired  to  remain  they  would  have  to  obey  the  orders 
that  had  been  given.  It  would  spoil  the  charm  if  they  did  not  take 
oft"  their  coats. 

Accordingly  the  coats  were  removed. 

Seated  on  the  floor  with  their  legs  crossed  beneath  them  were 
about  twenty-five  negro  men  and  women,  the  men  in  their  shirt  sleeves, 
and  the  women  with  their  heads  adorned  with  the  traditional  head 
handkerchief  or  tignon. 

In  the  center  of  the  floor  there  was  spread  a  small  tablecloth,  at 
the  corners  of  which  two  tallow  candles  were  placed,  being  held  in 
position  by  a  bed  of  their  own  grease. 

As  a  center-piece  on  the  cloth,  there  was  a  shallow  Indian  basket 
filled  with  weeds,  or,  as  they  call  them,  herbes.     Around  the  basket 


126  THE  CREOLE  TOURIST'S  GUIDE 

were  diminutive  piles  of  white  beans  and  corn,  and  just  outside  of 
these  a  number  of  small  bones,  whether  human  or  not,  could  not  be 
told.  Some  curiously  wrought  bunches  of  feathers  were  the  next 
ornamentations  near  the  edge  of  the  cloth,  and  outside  of  all  several 
saucers  with  small  cakes  in  them. 

The  only  person  enjoying  the  aristocratic  privilege  of  a  chair  was 
a  bright  cafe  au  lait  woman  of  aboutforty-eight,  who  sat  in  one  cor- 
ner of  the  room  looking  on  the  scene  before  her  w^ith  an  air  of  dignity. 
She  was  of  extremely  handsome  figure,  and  her  features  showed  that 
she  was  not  of  the  class  known  in  old  times  as  field  hands.  She  was 
evidently  about  the  plantation  house.  She  was  neatly  attired  in  a 
blue  calico  dotted  with  white,  and  on  her  head  a  brilliant  tignon  was 
gracefully  tied. 

On  inquiry  it  was  learned  that  her  name  was  Malvina  Latour,  and 
that  she  was  the  queen. 

As  soon  as  the  visitors  had  squatted  down  in  their  places  against 
the  wall  an  old  negro  man,  whose  wool  was  white  with  years,  began 
scraping  on  a  two-stringed  sort  of  a  fiddle.  The  instrument  had  a 
long  neck,  and  its  body  was  not  more  than  three  inches  in  diameter, 
being  covered  with  brightly  mottled  snake  skin.  This  was  the  signal 
to  two  young  mulattoes  beside  him,  who  commenced  to  beat  with  their 
thumbs  on  little  drums  made  of  gourds  and  covered  with  sheepskin. 

These  tam-tams  gave  forth  a  short,  hollow  note  of  peculiar  sound, 
and  were  fit  accompaniments  of  the  primitive  fiddle.  As  if  to  inspire 
those  present  with  the  earnestness  of  the  occasion,  the  old  darkey 
rolled  his  eyes  around  the  room  and  then,  stamping  his  foot  three 
times,  exclaimed:     "A  present  commencez!" 

Rising  and  stepping  out  toward  the  middle  of  the  floor  a  tall  and 
sinewy  negro  called  the  attention  of  all  to  him.  He  looked  a  Hercules, 
and  his  face  was  anything  but  attractive. 

Nervous  with  restrained  emotion,  he  commenced  at  first  in  a  low 
voice,  which  gradually  became  louder  and  louder,  a  weird  song. 

As  he  sang  he  seemed  to  grow  in  stature  and  his  eyes  began  to  roll 
in  a  sort  of  gild  frenzy.  There  was  ferocity  in  every  words,  boldness 
and  defiance  in  every  gesture. 

Keeping  time  to  his  song  the  tam-tams  and  fiddle  gave  a  weird 
and  savagely  monotonous  accompaniment  that  it  was  easy  to  believe 
was  not  unlike  the  savage  music  of  Africa. 


INDEX 

Map  of  the  City  of  New  Orleans Frontispiece 

Illustrations.  Page. 

Lafayette  Square 6 

Carnival  Crowd  10 

A  Carnival  Scene — Rex  Parade 14 

Creole  Mammy — French  Quarters 18 

City  Hall  ."^ 22 

Sugar  Landing- 26 

General  Robt.  E.  Lee  Monument  30 

Audubon  Place 34 

Archbishop's  Residence - 38 

The  Old  St.  Louis  Hotel 42 

St.  Roch's  Mausoleum  46 

Creole  Courtyard 50 

Interior  View  of  St.  Stephen's  Church 52 

Episcopal  Church    •'^4 

St.  Alphonsus  Catholic  Church 55 

Temple  Sinai  56 

Cotton  Picking  58 

The  Old  Dueling  Grounds  62 

Confederate  Monument ^"^ 

Old  Absinthe  House 66 

Steamboat  Landing '^^ 

The  Old  Cabildo  72 

The  Historical  French  Market 76 

In  the  French  Quarter '^^ 

Camp  Street  82 

Sugar  Cane  Cutting ^^ 

The  Haunted  House ^^ 

The  Sugar  Exchange ^^ 

Carnival  Crowd  on  Canal  Street ^'* 

General  Beauregard's  Residence ~ ^6 

Tilton  Library   ^^ 

The  Main  Public  Library JXT 

U    S.  Mint  ]^l 

Entrance  to  Metairie  Cemetery jj:^ 

Albert  Sidney  Johnston  Monument |y° 

Chinese  Funeral ||^ 

Jackson  Square  and  St.  Louis  Cathedral 114 

An  Old  Vault  in  St    Louis  Cemetery ]}^ 

The  New  Court  House   ^^'^ 


UCSB   LIBRASjf 


UCSOuTMERfJfiE 


A     000  583  339     7 
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siyiit  tested  Our  Optical  Goods 
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GRADUATE    OPTICIAIS, 

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